Sneak
by Tamarai
Summary: This story is the chapter companion of my previous oneshot ‘Victims of Circumstance’. Gambit and Rogue have let things get carried away and have now gone much too far to stop. But what is the end result of an X-man and an Acolyte falling in love? Romy.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** This story is the chapter companion of my previous oneshot 'Victims of Circumstance'. Gambit and Rogue have let things get carried away and have now gone much too far to stop. But what is the end result of an X-man falling in love with and Acolyte, and vise versa? Romy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the X-men nor am I affiliated with Marvel in any way.

**Author's Notes:** After many requests, and having this story playing quietly in the back of my mind, I finally was able to flesh it out into a chapter fic. This story is slight AU, taking place sometime in season 3, and will not be leading up to the exact events that spawned season 4. I would recommend that those who haven't read my oneshot 'Victims of Circumstance' take a quick jaunt over in that direction, as that is the precursor for this fic. I don't think it's imperative to read in regards to understanding this story, but it will give a little insight, and explain why this story starts off with _'Three months later'._

As always, I write my leads with minimal accents. I believe the imagination is far better than all my misspelled words and apostrophes.

* * *

_Three months later_.

"It's just for a few days," she said while pulling her sweater over her head and searching the floor by his bed for her jeans. "It's too risky with Logan back in town."

"He's not back tonight," he answered snaking his arm around her tiny waist and pulling her back towards the bed.

"Yeah, an' what happens when Pyro gets back? I know Colossus has figured it out. How long before Pyro does?"

"Colossus won't say anything, cherie."

"It ain't Colossus I'm worried about."

He gave her the saddest, puppy dog face he could muster.

"Chere-"

She managed to escape his arms and slide into her jeans. He went to grab her again and she brushed his hand away.

"How long do we keep doing this?"

It was his most hated question. She could be such a pessimist at times, always worrying about what other people would think. No one paid any mind to her stupid friend Kitty and her dalliances with Avalanche of the Brotherhood.

He had stopped worrying about their team ties the moment she'd climbed off his kitchen table months ago. So he was sleeping with an X-man and she was sleeping with Acolyte? Big deal. Battle lines were often blurry in wars, this was no different.

"I love you," he answered simply. It was the same answer he always gave to this particular question.

"Don't do this tonight, Remy, I'm serious." She sighed, wrinkling her brow. "Sooner or later we're gonna get caught and sometimes I think you want to."

"Would it be so bad?"

"I'm leaving before Pyro gets back," she answered, avoiding the question.

"When are you coming back?"

She hesitated at his open window. "I don't know."

"Rogue-"

"I just think we should keep it cool for awhile, that's all," she said before she climbed out of his window.

Gambit fell back onto his bed in frustration as he heard the roar of her bike start up and speed off back to her home. He shifted around uncomfortably, fishing her bra out from underneath him. He tossed it away from the bed. She was always leaving things behind when she rushed out his window like that. He knew she was right, with Pyro's big mouth, once he found out so would everyone else. She was also right when she said sometimes she thought he wanted to get caught.

Sometimes he did.

He loved her and she loved him. Sometimes he wanted nothing more than to tell the world that she was his. Stake his claim and make sure everyone knew.

Rogue was his.

They had never meant to carry it this far. Never meant to fall in love. Never meant to lie and sneak around. It was harder for her and he knew it. He was an Acolyte, mutant scum for hire. He was expected to be doing shady things like this, but she? She was one of the good guys. The people she lied to every day were her friends and her family. It didn't matter who he lied to around here. He had no ties to any of them.

She lied to the people she loved on a daily basis for him.

It wasn't right, and he didn't deserve it.

And at the same time he didn't want her to stop, because he didn't want her to stop seeing him. He didn't want this to end. About a month ago they had tried stopping it, but by then it was already too late. By then it wasn't about sex or attraction. Had they stopped before they began to feel things for each other, they could have made a clean break. Both became damned when like turned into love, and when sex turned into expression of love.

It was around the time they had started sleeping together that Colossus had figured it out. The quiet Russian mutant never said a damn word to Remy about it, but the man began to tell him to 'be careful' when he went out, and on occasion he would even keep Pyro out of Remy's room. Oddly, it was only during times she was in his room and in his bed.

There had been many close calls, and he still couldn't give her up. She was so many levels of dangerous to him that he couldn't resist. She was his everything; he had fallen so far and so hard for her that there was no point in ever turning back.

He was her first, and it was quite possibly the worst thing she ever could have said to him. He was her first real lover. It made him want to be her only one. He'd braved her mutation and stupidly risked everything for just one night with her. One night turned into many, and not once had he ever regretted a single one. He didn't mind being half dressed for sex, he didn't even mind not being able to kiss her or touch her bare skin with his. At first, it had been a novelty to him, then an addiction, and one day it simply became how they conveyed their feelings for one another.

Even now, the day he told her he loved her for the first time rang clear in his head. She was leaving in a hurry, the glow of sex still shining radiantly on her skin. He had made her cry out his name in ecstasy three times during the course of their lovemaking, and her legs were still wobbly as she hastily got dressed. She was halfway out of his window when he'd said it.

_Rogue, I love you_.

She had froze the moment those words reached her ears. Her torso hung out the window idiotically, while she had one leg up on the crate he used as a night table. When the meaning of those words sunk in, she had pulled her body back inside his room and shut the window, pulling the dark towel he used as a makeshift curtain across the glass. Her clothes came off and she had crawled back into bed with him, keeping the sheet tucked neatly between them and her gloves on her hands. It was the first time she had spent the entire night with him, not caring if anyone at the mansion found her missing.

That was the same night her gloved hand followed the fine, smooth trail of hair from his navel to his groin in a teasing motion, casually saying she loved him too, then laughing at the effect her words had on him.

_Is that all I need to say to get you going, Remy?_

It was, and she used it to her advantage many times since.

Their new found love had made them foolish more than once. He cringed to think what his father would say; emotions made thieves sloppy and he had certainly had his fair share of sloppy lies. If he hadn't, Colossus would never have known what was going on. Still, he wouldn't have done a thing differently. He enjoyed making her cry out in bliss and moan his name in delight. So they had gotten loud every once in awhile, who could blame them? They were young and they were in love.

He'd challenge the world for her, for the right to be with her, although he had no idea why she loved him. He understood perfectly what is was about her he loved, but he would never understand why she came down from heaven and went slumming to be with him. She would never explain to him what it was about him she loved.

_I don't need a reason to love you, Remy. I just do_.

She would whisper the words softly in his ear when ever he asked. Then she would tease him about being insecure and pull his pants off, expertly working out all his tension. It was one of the many reasons he loved her, her ability to calm him down, and make him believe he deserved her and that he was worth it.

Worth all the risks.

Worth all the lies and deceptions.

Worth everything.

She was right when she said they needed to cool things off. He hated the idea, but she was right. They were jeopardizing everything by seeing each other too much. This week alone she'd been in his bed five nights in a row, twice she hadn't left to go back to the mansion. They couldn't be this liberal with their time once Logan came back, but it still didn't mean that he didn't hate it.


	2. Chapter 2

By two o'clock in the morning, Rogue had made it safely back to the mansion. Over the past few months she had gotten pretty darn good at scaling the mansion walls and sneaking back in the balcony door that led to the room she shared with Kitty.

Gambit had shown her how to do it one night while the psychics and Logan were out on a mission. He never came around the mansion otherwise. It was too dangerous, and detection would be way too easy. Logan would catch his scent in a heartbeat, while Jean and the Professor would catch his thought patterns at such a close range.

So the safest route was for her to sneak out and meet him. It was easy to get past Kitty, the girl slept like the dead on most nights. Even Jean and the Professor were easy to get past once sleep overtook them. Logan was the one that created problems. Even in sleep he was always aware of his surroundings and scents. She had to be extra careful when Logan was around.

Coming back from her nights with Remy she'd shower immediately once inside her room, and would often dash through the mansion's sprinklers that watered the ground's vegetation at night before even trying to get back inside. So far, she had managed to elude Logan's detection.

It was a lot of work to keep things secret at night. It was even more work during the day. Schooling her thoughts away from Gambit was tricky. It was hard not to think of him. He was the constant source of her happiness.

She knew that Jean didn't mean to invade minds, sometimes her powers got the better of her and she lost control. As for the Professor, he made a point of not invading minds unless given permission to do so.

This thing she had going on with Gambit made her sessions with the Professor stop altogether. Usually she would let the Professor enter her mind and try to help her with her control from the inside, but not wanting to put her relationship with Remy at risk for discovery, she shied away from the sessions.

_I've already got one too many people in there, Professor. I'm not all that comfortable with having another one anymore._

The man never asked any questions about her sudden change in mind. All she had needed to say was that she was uncomfortable, and the Professor came up with new ways to try and help her, mostly with using meditation and concentration techniques.

For her, it was a double-edged sword. Refusing the full treatment the Professor could offer her in regards to her mutation kept her from touching Remy skin to skin, but in taking the full treatment, they risked being found out.

She had reasoned that she didn't really mind her mutation all that much. They had worked around it. She had never dreamt it was possible that she could be romantically involved with someone. She had never meant to get physical with Gambit in the first place. It was never supposed to go that far.

Problem was; her body didn't quite agree with her mind on that one. She had always known it was a bad idea to pursue him and seek him out. Although in hindsight, it had never been that hard of thing to do seeing as he made himself available and easy to find, wanting her as much as she wanted him.

The first time she'd found him outside of a fight, he was leaning against a tree near the Bayville High parking lot. His bike was parked beside him and she'd noticed straight away that he had two helmets. She'd caught his eye and the look he gave her confirmed one helmet was for her.

It was a dangerous thing for her to do. It could have easily been a trap, except that their last encounter on the battlefield had been far from unfriendly. It had explained why he was there hanging out outside her school. He was done pretending that there was nothing going on between them and that the spark of passion they had both toyed with didn't exist.

Scott and Kitty were with her at the time. Scott steered both girls clear of the shifty Acolyte, but Rogue had managed to 'forget' her homework, insisting that Kitty and Scott go on without her. She'd just get caught up at the library and come home later.

She'd watched Kitty and Scott meet up with Jean and drive away in Scott's car. Once they were out of sight and the coast was clear, she slowly made her way over to the enemy, who patiently waited for her.

He handed her the helmet silently and she slipped it on, climbing onto his bike behind him. She had hugged his body tightly, hanging on as they drove and loved every single minute her body was pressed up against his. He was built solid underneath her arms and she remembered liking the feel of him a lot. They drove to the outskirts of Bayville and parked along an abandoned dirt road.

When they climbed from the bike, all she could really remember about that moment was succumbing to the feelings she had been ignoring for so long. She was in his arms, hugging him tightly while he buried his face in her hair. They had stayed together on that dirt road until the sun began setting.

_I need to see you again_.

He had said it before he left her down the street from the mansion. They had named a time and a place, and in that single, guilty moment the affair had begun. They both knew it was wrong. Both knew they shouldn't have an attraction towards the enemy, yet neither was willing to let the day go as a single, isolated event.

Things had gone worse from there, the tryst had escalated emotionally and soon her experimenting and flirting with danger turned into something physical. There had always been that attraction and that want to go further with him. She had held off. It wasn't safe with her mutation.

So, instead they pushed things and tempted fate, always staying just below the line that could change the relationship. It was the poker game that had done it. Tipped the balance and made them admit that hugging and holding hands were no longer enough. She had wanted to see his body and he had wanted to see hers. Both knew the risks involved and both threw caution to the wind. That night played out differently than what they had originally planned.

The next time they had met after that night resulted in sex.

Rogue was brushing that thought from her mind as she slid from her clothes into her pajamas and snuck back into her bed. She stared up at the darkened ceiling, not wanting to remember her first time. Not when she wasn't going to be seeing him for a while. She knew things had to cool down between them. They were getting careless and if they kept at it something was going to slip and they'd be discovered.

He had a tendency to compare their relationship to the idiotic puppy love Kitty and Lance had. No one seemed to mind Kitty dating Lance, but Lance was considered small potatoes in the grand scheme of villainy. Gambit, however was an Acolyte, part of Magneto's elite team of mutants he'd acquired when his Brotherhood had failed to meet his standards and aspirations. While Lance was considered troublesome at best, Gambit was considered a severe threat and had proved it many times over.

She knew there was nothing threatening at all about him, but she'd never be able to convince anyone else of that. He treated her with the utmost respect and courtesy, his good manners often seeming completely out of place with him and his upbringing.

She hadn't the slightest idea how to get herself out this predicament she'd placed herself in. She loved him, and that was the problem. She was madly in love with the enemy. She knew it had to stop, but even the slightest thought of ending it made her throat close up and her stomach ache. A life without him seemed bleak and utterly painful to bear.

Whether she wanted to think about it or not, the first time they had slept together came flooding back into her mind.

Both had needed to explore the idea of a physical relationship after the poker night. She remembered him taking her to his room in that grubby warehouse and locking his bedroom door. She remembered noticing a playing card with her lipstick imprinted on it, lying on top of the crate he used as a nightstand. He'd kept the card they had 'kissed' with.

He was busy shoving clothes and junk off of his bed with a nervous sort of energy, cleaning off a spot for her to sit when she had picked up the playing card from the crate to find a small photo of her underneath it. A black and white, cut from a yearbook. She had stared in shock at the small admission to his feelings for her in that stolen picture, and while he was attempting to make his bed she had simply turned to him and said,

_I want you_.

He never finished making his bed. Instead, they were on it, messing the sheets and blankets up worse than they had originally been. She had loved feeling him hard against her. It was maddening to know she had that effect on a man. She had never wanted anything so badly in her life as she rubbed her hand up against him. He was greedily pawing at her breasts from under her shirt when she had asked him if he had a condom.

Time stood still for a single second before he was off of her, tearing through piles of junk to find a condom. She'd never seen that amount of determination displayed all at once. She was almost sure his sanity would have been gone if he couldn't find what she had asked for.

Once he had found a condom, the atmosphere switched to something entirely new. They were going to have sex. She had thought she'd be much more nervous about coming to the decision to give up her virginity, but there had been no doubt that she wanted to try with him. She didn't love him then, and the decision was based entirely on lust and curiosity, but it was still a decision she had come to. She had figured that if anyone could elude her mutation, it was the cunning thief.

He had pulled off his shirt and undone his pants, while she slid out of her pants and kept her sweater on. She watched with intrigue as he fitted himself with the condom, keeping his pants and underwear on, his hard member poking through the now unbuttoned fly of his boxer briefs. She had expected him to enter her straight away, since that's what sex was about. Instead, he had lain down beside her, running his gloved hands delicately over her body. She had shivered in delight and wonder at his touch.

She remembered the look of absolute bliss on his face when he'd finally removed her underwear and slid his hand between her legs. Her world as she knew it stopped as his hand did things to her body that she'd never imagined.

The memory of the first time she came for him would always be one of her favourites. Even now, months later, it still had the same effect on her. She was almost putting her clothes back on and going back to him to spend the night.

She hadn't spent the night with him the first time. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. Even with him grinning at her with pride as she stared up into his eyes with awe and a glowing satisfaction that came from somewhere deep inside, she hadn't thought about staying with him.

She was still seeing glorious stars when he had positioned himself above her, slowing working himself inside her. It had hurt for a brief moment when he'd finally entered all the way and he was actually really sweet about it, whispering reassurances in her ear as he maintained a slower pace until the pain died away.

She had to admit, the first time he went in, it didn't do much for her other than the enjoyment she received from watching his facial expressions shift in varying degrees of pleasure. It was a strange, but not an entirely uncomfortable feeling having him slide in and out. She didn't really get what the whole big deal was until she looked up at him. It was definitely doing something for him, and she found she adored watching his breathing quicken, or his eyes close, or his head tilt up in silent cries. Her favourite part quickly became when he moaned out loud in ecstasy.

When it was over, they had cuddled up against each other in his sheets and stayed entwined together for what seemed like hours. She remembered enjoying the slow, hazy afterglow and the feeling of contentment. It wasn't long before he fell asleep, and while he slept, she had gotten dressed and left.

After that night, sex had become the norm, the thing they craved most from each other and the thing neither could get enough of. The more they did it, the more addictive it became, the more enjoyable it became, and the riskier their relationship became.

It was then that they had mutually decided to end things. Both had known for a while that nothing could come of their love affair, and they'd decided to quit cold turkey. They avoided each other at all costs. It was painfully heartbreaking for her because at that time she had realized that it wasn't just the sex that kept her coming back to him. The physical bond they had created out of curiosity and lust evolved into an emotional bond, and it was startling to learn that she loved him.

After about two weeks they had relapsed back into their old ways in the middle of an on-going fight between the Acolytes and the X-men. A move that proved dangerous to both of them. After weeks of carefully avoiding each other, Rogue had ended up on a solo mission in which she was supposed to be tracking Pyro. It turned out the information her team had acquired was wrong, and it was actually Remy she was tracking. The two had fought for the first time in a month as real enemies, only to end up ripping at each others uniforms and partaking in the angriest, roughest, make-up sex known to man.

Like true addicts neither could resist temptation. They had barely gotten themselves dressed and straightened out when the rest of their corresponding teams had shown up. Remy had left with the Acolytes after being 'thwarted', and in less than an hour later, she was sneaking from the mansion and tapping on his bedroom window, while he was eagerly letting her back in.

Rogue heaved a tired sigh. Now she was going to try staying away again. The longer they carried on, the harder it became. It was especially hard when he threw out '_I love you_' like it was candy. He meant it every single time he said it, and every single time he said it she wanted to pretend that they weren't enemies and they weren't sneaking around and that there wasn't an expiration date on what they had. She forced herself to shut her eyes and try to sleep.

_It's not like we're breaking up_, she scolded herself. She'd see him as soon as things were safe.


	3. Chapter 3

Life went on in a mundane blur and Rogue couldn't help but feel ho-hum about everything. She missed her time with Remy and hated being apart from him. Everything switched to a muddy grey in her world without him. She tried to act like everything was fine and that she didn't miss him, but everyone at the mansion could always tell when something upsetting was up with her.

The worst part about that was that everyone was so damn helpful, or at least tried to be. It wasn't their faults that she didn't want to confide her feelings or tell them what was wrong, she just couldn't. As much as these people cared for her, she knew they wouldn't understand what she had going on with Remy.

More than likely they would try and dissuade her from seeing him, and that was certainly not going to happen. She and Remy could admit that they loved each other to each other, but they couldn't admit it to anyone else. To do that would be a quick way to end things, and neither wanted it to end.

Rogue didn't know what she was supposed to do. She loved him more than she'd ever loved anyone, despite who he worked for and what he did with his time when she wasn't around. He wasn't a bad person, just one who sometimes did bad things. It was something they never addressed or talked about. The way Rogue saw it; he was good to her, so there was no point in arguing over it. She knew he was only doing his job, but eventually she feared that their respective roles outside of their bed would invade the sheets soon enough, taking over all aspects of their relationship.

The question was always, how long they would keep up pretending what they really were. Were they really lovers destined to be together, or was she really an X-man and he an Acolyte who had simply gotten confused over boundaries?

They were heavy questions to ask and neither wanted to answer. To answer them could potentially end things. Rogue had the sneaking suspicious that they wouldn't deal with the tricky part of their relationship until they were caught and the cat was out of the bag.

She was okay with that. Right now was what mattered. Right now they were having fun and in love. She couldn't see any real good reason to ruin what they had going on. It was why they were cooling their jets for a bit and keeping a low profile. Neither wanted 'the now' to end, and getting caught would do just that. Regardless of how miserable she was without him and how much she missed him, this was a minor sacrifice to keep their love affair going.

* * *

Laying low drove him nuts. He wanted her in his arms, in his room and in his bed. He hated it when Wolverine was in town. He liked it best when Creed got stir crazy and left with Wolverine chasing after. It got rid of both noses. Not that Creed would give a damn who he was seeing, but it put Rogue at risk should Creed decide to care. As far as Remy knew, Colossus was the only Acolyte to figure out what was going on with him and Rogue.

He had spent the better half of his time merely watching Rogue from afar and as much as he told himself he had to quit it lest he get caught, he couldn't really resist inching his look out spots closer and closer. That ended quickly a few nights ago when Logan had caught his scent. Remy had backed off immediately and high tailed it out of there before Logan could actually catch up to him. Luckily, the vicious man had assumed that the Acolytes were just up to no good and that catching Remy's scent had meant that trouble was brewing.

It was pure coincidence that Magneto had actually had a confrontation planned a few days later, making Remy's discovered appearance by Logan confirmed as '_just the Acolyte's spying_'. True, he was spying, but it wasn't to cause any trouble. It was just that he missed Rogue and had wanted to see how she was doing.

He was pretty sure she knew that he had been around, especially after Logan had caught on to him. She would have been briefed about his detected presence in one of the team meetings. He wondered if she was upset with him for hanging around, or if she was missing him as much as he missed her.

Today would be different. Today they would get to see each other at close range.

He was suiting up for yet another confrontation with the X-men, something about… oh, hell, he didn't even know. He hadn't been paying attention. He was too busy planning out how to separate her from her team and get her alone.

They hadn't seen each other in over a week now, and he was contemplating goading Creed into causing trouble up in Canada again, just so Logan would leave and Rogue would be free to spend her nights with him. It was never a permanent solution to their problem, but anything that made it easier to see her was better than nothing.

The X-men were already at the location, a rundown construction site, when the Acolytes arrived. Remy did his very best not to make any eye contact with her at all. He caught her from the corner of his eye trying to do the same.

Summers went after him and he dodged a couple of poorly aimed laser blasts. He pulled out a couple cards before being tackled from the side by a familiar weight.

"I got him, Scott, but Jean needs help over there with Pyro!" Rogue shouted as she pinned Remy to the ground, straddling his waist. Once Scott's attention was off of them, she moved her hips below his waist, sliding her crotch against his. He closed his eyes in bliss as the blood rushed from his head to more important places.

"Miss me, Cajun?" she asked playfully.

"You have _no_ idea." he sighed.

"Actually," she answered, pressing herself harder against him, "I think I do."

"You don't play fair at all," he replied thickly as the heat of her body threw his into a frenzy.

"It's not my fault 'girl on top' gets you hot," she teased.

"It's not 'girl on top'." He smirked. "It's _you_ on top that gets me hot."

"Honey dripper," she answered wryly.

"Already?"

She gasped in surprised shock, hiding her grin.

"Don't be vulgar."

"Can't be helped, ma cherie. I want you now."

She stifled a giggle.

"We're in the middle of a fight."

"I hate these open locations. Why can't we ever fight in docking yards or abandoned buildings or five star hotels?"

"We've been in this position too long," she whispered with a hint of panic as she glanced nervously around.

"Right." He shoved his weight up forcing her over onto the ground, switching their positions. He kept her pinned to ground. "Struggle a bit, Chere."

"Lord, Scott's gonna blast you from behind again if we stay like this."

"Doesn't matter, he's got terrible aim. It'll graze at best."

She gave him a reprimanding look.

"Alright, alright, you wanna chase me or should I chase you?" He surrendered.

"Which would you prefer?"

"You know I'll catch you faster."

She hid her delight well.

"You can chase then," she answered licking her lips.

He met her grin and let her go, giving her a head start before he chased her. He charged a few playing cards and tossed them no where near her, but close enough to steer her somewhere a little more private and out of the way.

In due time, he caught up to her, pinning her roughly against a chicken wire fence. She winced slightly and he immediately loosened his grip.

"Sorry, Chere," he whispered feebly. "Thrill of the chase."

"I don't mind your rough man handling," she cooed, swiftly throwing her weight against him and effortlessly putting him up against the fence. She had managed to get one leg in between his, pressing her thigh fiercely against his crotch.

"Ah Dieu, I want you right here," he moaned deliriously.

"Yeah, 'cause that will go over well," she replied wryly with a sense of bitterness that they couldn't just go at it like rabbits right here.

"Come and see me tonight, ma cherie," he begged quietly. "It's been almost two weeks."

"I'll see what I can do. We've been under careful watch since we've been outed as mutants," she answered hesitantly. "Logan's bumped up security in case any mutant hate groups try anything."

Remy groaned. It was not exactly the answer he wanted to hear. It was already hard enough to see each other without throwing mutant hate groups into the mix.

She caught the look on his face and her features softened.

"I'll try my best, Sug. Y'know I want to see you too."

"Shadowcat's looking at us funny, now might be a good time for a stomach punch," Remy spoke warily.

Her fist hit him in the side and he gasped, crumpling over. She had one hell of a hook.

"You okay?" she asked, not moving her lips or showing any concern on her face, but he could always hear it in her voice.

"Yeah, better finish it though, she's heading over here."

"Remy, I hate-"

"Just do it, Chere!" he instructed quietly.

She pulled her glove off quickly, glaring at him as her hand came in contact with his face. He knew she hated using her mutation on him and he hated being sucked into the black hole of nothingness that came with it, but sometimes it was necessary. Like right now for instance, Kitty was looking suspicious and heading over to them. He'd be unconscious on the ground by the time she got to them.

Rogue shoved her glove back on furiously. She could feel him in her mind, whispering sweet nothings and digging out all their pleasant memories. She was fucked if Jean saw her mind right now. The combination of his memories mixed with hers was murder. She had always hated absorbing him. One, she didn't like hurting him, and two, this mingling of salacious memories made it very hard for her concentrate and kept her in a delirious sexed-up state.

"You okay?" Kitty asked, running up to her.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine." she answered giving the girl a faint smile.

"What was he saying to you?" Kitty asked. "You loosened your grip on him and-"

"He's a charmer that one," Rogue answered abruptly. "Didn't get him very far this time, though."

"Did you get anything from him?"

"Naw, his mind's a cesspool. You wouldn't believe the amount of sex in there."

Kitty giggled.

"That's awful!"

"Least I don't have pay for porn," Rogue answered dryly

Kitty burst out in high giggles. "You're _terrible_!"

Rogue gave her a sly smile, probably something she picked up from Remy. "Come on. Let's regroup with the rest of the team."

She walked casually away from his body with Kitty, willing herself not to turn around and check on him. He'd be fine, he always was. Colossus would pick him up and drag him back to their hideout. He'd wake up and take a couple painkillers and be fine. It still didn't mean that she didn't like leaving him like that.

Back at the mansion, they held a team meeting. It was normal to go over what had happened in a fight. It helped them improve upon tactics or figure out motives and how they could do better next time. Each team member's contribution was discussed and Rogue's turn had come up.

"Rogue, you're hesitating on using your mutation to take enemies out quickly. At least that's what I've noticed." Scott said. "Gambit wouldn't have been a problem at all if you'd absorbed him the minute you pinned him."

She tried to think up a good excuse, when Kitty chirped up, "I'd hesitate too if I had her mutation, Scott. You have no idea the amount of crap she absorbs from people just so we can get a quick fix to stopping enemies."

"I agree with Kitty," the Professor began. "We are still discovering the full nature of Rogue's mutation, and I have some reservations concerning a liberal use of it. I feel it should be used as a last resort, not as a quick fix."

"Sorry, Professor," Scott answered, slightly shame faced. "I guess I never thought of it from that angle."

"I'm thinking we're going to bump up combat training," Logan began. "Gambit never should have found an advantage to not only put Rogue in a submissive position once, but twice."

Rogue scowled.

"He's too quick," she argued.

"Well, maybe if you didn't spend so much time listening to him talk, you'd be more alert." Logan continued. "I know you're not used to guys flirting with you, Rogue, and so does he. He uses it to his advantage."

"He doesn't flirt with me!" she cried outraged. "And even if he did, doesn't mean I'd be stupid enough to listen to it!"

"Rogue, no one here is doubting your abilities, or implying you're not doing your best," the Professor answered calmly. "But, perhaps taking on Gambit is a little out of your league right now."

"What are you saying?" she asked angrily.

"As a solution to not using your mutation on a whim, I think it would be best if perhaps you fought someone more suited to your fighting style and let Jean take care of Gambit."

"Jean!?" she replied in horror.

"Hey! I can handle him!" Jean replied hotly. "It's that stupid fire starter I have trouble with."

"Which brings me to my next point." The Professor continued. "I think Rogue is better suited to fighting Pyro and Jean is better suited to fighting Gambit. I think this switch up will help us achieve more victories and less violent ones."

"But-" Rogue tried to protest.

"I know your pride is hurt on this one, Rogue. You don't take it lightly when an enemy can best you, but let's just give this a try, hmmm?"

She nodded bitterly. There was no point in arguing with the Professor when he had his mind made up.

"Don't worry, Stripes," Logan said, patting her shoulder. "I'm gonna teach you some deadly holds."

Logan's words had little comfort for her since the problem had nothing to do with her fighting Remy. It was Jean fighting Remy that would be a bad situation. If she got into his mind, she'd know all about them and what they were doing. Jean wasn't the type to keep that sort of thing a secret either, and the more Rogue thought about it, the more she hated the idea of Miss Goody-two-shoes finding out.

Rogue had no choice. She'd have to sneak out tonight and tell him the awful news. It didn't make her happy at all. She hadn't been with him in a while, and she didn't want to come with anything that would put a damper on the mood. She sighed mournfully. Sneaking Remy was getting harder and harder all the time.


	4. Chapter 4

Sneaking a love affair with Gambit hadn't been easy in the beginning, but it had been _easier_. Right now, Rogue felt like the world was against them. Sometimes she wished it were still like it was in the beginning. When they were actually really fighting with each other, and not putting on an elaborate play fight.

Gambit had always been a flirt when they fought. He was with every single one of the girls, and maybe Logan was right, maybe it had affected her more when he did it to her. She wasn't used to pretty words being tossed her way, and it was easier for her to get sucked into the spell his voice cast simply because no one had ever said the things he said to her before. She wasn't used to the attention, and she felt safe flirting back knowing nothing would ever come of the playful banter. He was an Acolyte, she was an X-man; at the time she saw no harm in trying her hand at flirting. It was supposed to lead to nowhere.

A guy like him wasn't supposed to have any real interest in a girl that couldn't be touched, or so she had thought. She took their flirting a little further than she would have if she had thought she stood an actual chance with him. She knew things had gotten slightly out of hand when she _looked forward_ to fighting with the Acolytes. Things had gotten way out of hand when she'd double check how she looked in the mirror before the team left, just in case she fought with him.

It was around the time that she was making sure she 'looked good' before a fight, that he had upped the ante and used their physical fights as opportunities to sneak in the odd little touch here and there.

Sparks shot up her spine the first time his hands slipped around her waist. It was the softest, briefest touch; blink and it would have been missed. She had known right away that while it was incorporated into a fight move, that's not what it was.

Then there were the mistaken 'brushing up against her moments' to accidentally graze her breasts or butt with his hands. After the first few times, she realized quickly that they were not accidents at all, and even more startling - she didn't really mind. In fact, she had turned his own moves against him, employing them on him to 'check' him out.

The defining moment was the first time he'd pinned her to the ground. He had done it as a legit fight move, except the moment his body was on top of hers, the 'fight' seemed to leave his eyes and vanish into thin air. They had stared at each other, breathing hard. She remembered her heart beating quickly and loudly, a constant pounding in her ears. He had blinked at her as though he was seeing her for the first time and within seconds he was off of her, and gone.

She remembered sitting up in a daze and Kurt asking if she'd been hurt. She hadn't been hurt at all, only confused. Confused, because if it hadn't been for her mutation she would have kissed Gambit in that moment.

They had carried on that way right up until the fateful day he'd parked his bike outside her school and waited for her. Her life had quickly spiraled out of control after that. She had had to come up with elaborate lies and excuses to ditch both her mutant friends and her single human friend, Risty, all in order to see Remy on the sly.

She wasn't the only one making up the lies. Remy was busy on his end too. If Magneto ever found out that Remy was consorting with one of Xavier's little pets, Remy would get the beating of a lifetime, or worse, end up dead. At least if anyone found out on her end, her life wasn't in danger.

It worried Rogue that Colossus knew about them. Remy had sworn up and down, crossing his heart that Colossus would keep quiet.

_Piotr's alright, Chere. He won't say anything._

Rogue had no choice but to believe him and hope to high hell that Colossus kept his trap shut. She knew very little about any of the other Acolytes, except Creed. Unfortunately, she knew him a little too well thanks to an unpleasant incident where she had been forced to absorb him to protect her friends. She looked like a she-wolf for much longer than she ever cared to and his memories and thoughts still haunted her sleep to this day.

It seemed that every time she turned around she and Remy faced another challenge in keeping things between them secret. It was bad enough that they had to in the first place, but with Colossus knowing and now Jean potentially finding out, Rogue was getting a little more concerned and worried.

She waited until Kitty was asleep before she slipped out the balcony doors and out into the night. She snuck around all the new security measures Logan had installed earlier this week. She had 'tagged along' curiously as Logan had been installing them, and to her surprise, he'd actually let her help on a few. It made it much easier to get past them and off the mansion grounds, but the added installments tacked an extra ten minutes onto her usual time.

* * *

The headache pounded away through his skull when he awoke on top of his bed. It took him a moment to take in his surroundings and gather his thoughts. He groaned instantly when he moved his body, fumbling his hand over his nightstand for a bottle of painkillers. Gambit took the pills without water and fell back onto his bed.

Colossus must have carried him back to the warehouse. Any time someone was absorbed by Rogue (namely him), Colossus seemed to be the one hauling them back to safety. He wondered who would haul Colossus back if he were ever absorbed. Gambit figured it'd be him. Pyro and Sabertooth wouldn't care, and Magneto would probably leave the fallen mutant as punishment.

Remy often felt bad for the big, Russian mutant. He wasn't in Magneto's service out of money or general badness like the rest of them were. Magneto had Colossus' family and the good-natured metal man had no choice but to work for Magneto to ensure his family's safety. It was blackmail of the worst kind. Colossus really belonged with the X-men in Remy's opinion.

Most times he wished he belonged with the X-men too, but he had a very different set of morals and reasons for doing the things he did. To be with Rogue freely was something he wanted more than anything in the world, but he knew what he was and what he wasn't, and he definitely wasn't 'good guy' material. At least not all the time, he sort of hedged the fine lines between right and wrong on most occasions.

For starters, his favourite past time was thieving. It was in his blood and in his upbringing. He'd always been a 'taker', and he always would be. He supposed it was part of his attraction to Rogue. She was a 'taker' as well, but not by choice. She stole bits and pieces of people whenever her skin came into contact with hers. She didn't steal on purpose like he did, but he still felt a sense of kinship with her. Stealing was in her blood too; she just didn't like it. Not that he could really blame her.

In the months he'd been with her, he saw how her mutation affected her. Sometimes she seemed to be in a far off place as she tried to decipher what belonged to her and what didn't. Sometimes he thought she wasn't listening to anything at all in the real world, but living inside her mind.

It worried him the most when she took on distinctive personality traits from people she'd siphoned from. It was eerie to watch her behave in mannerisms that belonged to him or others.

It bothered him more when she tossed and turned in her sleep, haunted by memories and pasts that weren't hers or had anything to do with her. She took on everyone's problems without meaning to. When she absorbed him, he tried to think happy thoughts, hoping she'd pick up on those instead of his more troubled ones. Still, it was a major concern of his just how long she could keep the tapestry of her mind from unraveling.

A familiar tapping on his window caught his immediate attention. Giddy like a kid in a candy store, he was sitting up on his bed and opening the window for her. His excitement and joy in seeing her never seemed to wane, and he hoped with all his might that she would stay the entire night.

He really hadn't been expecting her after their brief conversation within the fight today. But then again, they had been apart for too long. He knew by the same excited expression that twinkled in her eyes that she was just as excited to see him, as he was to see her. She'd taken the risks anyway to come here and nothing could have made him happier.

She was in his arms as soon as her feet touched the floor and his hands were already traveling over her body in a flurried, needy rush. It was impossible to keep his hands off, especially after so long a wait to feel her again in his arms.

"You're certainly grabby," she commented with a grin as his hands pawed wantonly at her chest.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," he commented, running his hands up under her shirt.

"I missed you, too." She smiled as she shoved him playfully onto the bed, about to climb on top of him.

"Enough to stay the night?" he asked eagerly.

"You know I always want to stay the night, but-"

"It's too risky." He sighed, repeating her usual answer.

"Our fight today raised concerns with the team," she answered with a sullen expression.

"What kind of concerns?" he asked, sitting up on the bed. He knew when she was being serious and this was serious.

"Concerns that I can't handle you, and Jean's going to be from now on." He could hear the anger and worry in her voice.

"Fuck," he swore.

"Remy, if she gets into your mind-"

"She won't." He soothed confidently and pulled her onto the bed with him. "I'll be careful. If she catches anything, she'll think I'm a pervert and nothing more."

"Lord, I don't even want to know what you'll think about," she answered rolling her eyes.

"Are you sure 'bout that? It could make for a real fun evening."

She tried her best not to smile and to look affronted by his words like she still had a sense of dignity, but part of Remy's appeal was his absolutely filthy mind.

"Why don't we take these off and see where it goes?" she answered with a smirk as she began tugging at his pants.

"You always know just what to say."

Half an hour later they snuggled together amongst his sheets. He was spent and struggled to keep himself awake, while she amused herself by lazily trailing her fingers over his chest. She'd hit a spot every so often with those satin gloves that made him twitch involuntarily in pleasure, making her delight in her new found game in finding those certain spots.

She had stayed much later than usual, normally if she was leaving him for the night she would have left already. He liked it best when she stayed with him, but any amount of time with her was great.

"Remy?" she asked softly.

"Hmmm?" he sighed sleepily.

"Why can't it be like this all the time?"

"I don't know," he hesitated. "I s'pose all great loves have their challenges and hindrances."

"I'm staying tonight."

"You know I wouldn't want it any other way," he murmured into her hair as she curled herself up in a sheet and tucked herself neatly under his arm.

"I'm not sure how much longer we can keep this up. Everything seems to be closing in on us," she said aloud, voicing her fears.

"Is that why you're staying?" he asked gently. "Because you think our time is running out?"

She only nodded.

"Chere," he started painfully, he absolutely hated when she got like this. "It'll be fine. We'll work it out and we'll be fine."

"What if everything won't be fine and they figure us out? Then what?" she pleaded. "I can't lose you, Remy. You're the only thing I know for sure that's really mine."

"And I'll always be yours." He confirmed as he lightly brushed his fingers over her hair in fine, delicate strokes.

"What if they won't let us be together?" she whispered.

"No one but us gets to make that choice, Cherie," he answered firmly. "You know that."

She nodded again slowly and calmed back down. Remy had an unparalleled knack for putting her mind at ease, reassuring her gently but firmly that he would stick things out until the bitter end.

"I love you," she said, settling back down into his arms for the night.

Remy was concerned. He was really good at chasing away Rogue's fears, but not his own. He had no idea how he would manage to keep Jean Grey from invading his mind if she chose to. The only thing he could really think of was to not give her any reason to do so.

For the most part, Jean used her talents to move objects and generate force fields, not peek into people's thoughts. He doubted Jean would just pop into his head for no reason, so he would have to be careful not to give her one.

His other option was to really fight and take Jean out much quicker than he would Rogue, leaving her team no choice but to put Rogue back to fighting him. He'd prefer it that way anyway, since he didn't much like the idea of Rogue being paired with Pyro. That guy was hands down crazy, borderline psychotic and Remy didn't much enjoy the idea of his girlfriend getting hurt.

Not only that, but their fight time was also a chance to see each other and he had come to relish the elaborately staged play fighting. It always got him hot and bothered under the collar and riled his body up in ways that only she could. Every so often he loved the rougher side of things and she could definitely deal it out rough when she wanted to.

He decided not to worry about tomorrow and waste the evening. She had decided to spend the night, and it was never a decision that she came to lightly. A thousand things could go wrong each time she stayed with him. She could be discovered missing if Kitty woke up or if they slept in and failed to rise earlier than everyone else. There was also the chance that she'd be discovered in the warehouse.

The times she decided to stay were precious, and Remy opted to focus on basking in the feeling of just having her with him for the night. He'd worry about tomorrow, well, tomorrow. He settled back comfortably beside her and closed his eyes, letting sleep come to him.

* * *

It was already light out when his eyes shot open in alarm. He heard the scuffling of two bodies outside his door and acted quickly without thought. He shoved Rogue up in the sheets and pushed her off of his bed and onto the far side of the floor, making sure she was away from the door. She let out a disgruntled, but well muffled shriek as she hit the floor not a moment too soon.

His bedroom door burst open with Pyro grinning from ear to ear and Colossus behind him rubbing his head smartly.

"Rise and shine, Sunshine!" the flaming orange haired mutant boomed. "It's a school day, and we'll not be tardy!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Remy glowered as he sat up in his bed angrily. Rogue stayed perfectly still and perfectly quiet on the floor, but Remy turned his body away from her so that Pyro wouldn't feel the need to venture further into his room to get Remy's full attention and possibly discover the girl he was hiding.

"Magneto's new plan, mate." Pyro giggled like a lunatic. "As of today, you, me and the big guy are enrolled at Bayville High."

"When was this decided?" Remy shot back indignantly. He had been hired to fight, not attend classes.

"While you were sleeping off that little sheila's touch," Pyro answered with the same maniacal grin. "Not that it's seemed to slow you down any."

Remy wrinkled his brow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Remy snapped just as he caught the embarrassed look on Colossus's face. The quiet mutant jerked his head towards the floor for Remy's benefit. Remy glanced down at the floor and paled considerably as Pyro was already snatching up Rogue's panties from the floor. Pyro had no idea which girl the tiny cotton undies belonged to, but it still pissed Remy off to see his girl's delicates in Pyro's hands.

Glowering even more, Remy made a grab for the panties as Pyro taunted him with a laugh holding them higher and out of his reach. Angrily, Remy fished around on the floor for his pants, finding a pair and shoving them on in order to attack Pyro.

The jostling was quickly broken up by Colossus, who had intervened by jerking the two smaller men apart.

"We are going to be late," he said quietly, pulling the underwear roughly from Pyro and tossing it across the room in the direction where Rogue hid. "Magneto will not be happy if we are starting off on the wrong foot at Bayille High. Remy get dressed, and Pyro, at least finish making the coffee."

Colossus shoved Pyro from Remy's room with one big muscled arm while closing the bedroom door with the other. Remy promptly moved towards the door, locking it sharply for all the good it did as Rogue climbed out from her hiding space.

"Nice reflexes, Sug," she commented as she slipped her panties on and grabbed her pants.

"Hardly." He scoffed sourly. "If I'd have been dressed, he never would have had your underwear in his filthy hands."

"I was talking about not getting us caught."

"Oh, that." Remy glanced down at the ground. "You didn't get hurt did you?"

"Nah," she answered while straightening out her top. "Just a rude wake up call, although not much ruder than your own."

"He thinks everything is a god-damned joke."

"Maybe he has to," she answered softly before putting a gloved hand to his lips and pressing her lips where his mouth lied underneath. "I guess I'll see you in class."

She gave him a wink and wry smile before climbing out his window.


	5. Chapter 5

Rogue barely made it back to her room in time for Kitty to get up. She had been cutting it close since Pyro had interrupted their usual morning routine. Just as she slipped in through the balcony door and made it to her bed, Kitty was starting to stir.

"You're up early," Kitty yawned sleepily. "Usually I have to wake you."

"I had a good night's sleep," Rogue shrugged, pretending to check out her top in the mirror.

"You wore that one yesterday," Kitty commented. "You really have the world's worst memory, and it'd help if you actually put your clean clothes in, you know, _a drawer_, instead of the floor with your dirty ones."

Rogue smiled. She'd started keeping her clothes that way in order to disguise the days where she was caught sneaking in in last night's clothes, and Kitty seemed to fall for it every time.

"I'll try to remember that," she answered with her typical response. She pulled last night's clothes off and found something clean to wear. She'd picked her longer skirt with the chain belt and a form-fitting camisole with deep mauve, arm length gloves. She found her lighter mauve scarf in the flimsy, gauzy material that she wore for special occasions, and wrapped it around her neck.

Kitty whistled.

"You look good, almost too good," Kitty critiqued. "It's not picture day or something today is it?"

"No, I guess I've got laundry to do later on. This is all I've got left on the clean end of things," She lied coolly. What she really wanted to do was look extra good for Remy's first day of school, not that she could share that sentiment with Kitty.

Ever since she'd learned that Magneto would be having Remy, Pyro and Colossus attend at Bayville High, Rogue had been excited. It meant she'd get to see Remy without having to sneak so much. Finally, things were starting to look up for them.

The team had had to interact with Mystique's Brotherhood on a daily basis and remain civil, even _friendly_ while at school, which meant that they would be instructed by Xavier to do the same with the Acolytes. Rogue couldn't wait to be 'friendly' with Remy, and was already thinking of all the places they could sneak off to on the school grounds.

She headed off to school with the rest of the mutants from Xavier's, keeping her excitement to a minimum. Everyone knew she hated going to Bayville High, especially after the mutant status had been revealed to the public. She'd already been an outcast, and now she was even more so.

The school itself was divided in terms of how to treat them. Some of the humans accepted them readily, while others turned to prejudiced and downright mean behaviour. But until any laws were passed on mutants, they were allowed within the halls of the public school and were expected to behave and be treated just like any other regular student. On most days that was hardly the case.

Her heart skipped a beat when the three 'new' boys showed up on the front steps of Bayville High. She'd never seen Pyro or Colossus in civilian clothes before, but on rare occasions she did get to see Remy out of uniform, although he hardly ever stayed dressed for long.

She acted just as shocked as the rest of the team did seeing the three Acolytes at school. The three were quickly greeted warmly by the school's Guidance Counselor and ushered away down the hall, so Scott hadn't even got a chance to demand why they were there.

Later, in her first period class with Scott and Jean, the three Acolytes were brought in and introduced to the class as 'exchange students'. It was explained that Pyro, now going by John, came all the way from Australia, while Piotr hailed from Russia. Remy, looking the most dejected of the three, had come from New Orleans on a replacement program.

Rogue sat up straight and tried to look the most interested in the three in hopes that she'd be picked to show the 'new kids' around. Scott was picked instead, and he looked less than pleased about it.

"It's okay, Scott," Jean had whispered as Rogue eavesdropped. "I doubt they'll actually start anything during school hours."

"That one's a mutie," Duncan, the resident school jerk, whispered in front of Rogue to one of his stupid jock friends, obviously talking about Remy. "Just look at those freaky eyes. Like we don't have enough of them here already."

Rogue frowned with worry, trying to concentrate on her textbook as Scott grudgingly took the 'exchange students' from the room to give the tour. Duncan proceeded to plot out all the horrible things he and his friends were going to do to the new mutant much to Rogue's dismay.

She hadn't even considered that Remy would be a target for the anti-mutant students at the school. He was formidable in a fight and she wasn't exactly sure how her boyfriend would react to being bullied by mere humans.

Remy's first day of school was turning out to be a living hell, not that he had thought it was going to be otherwise. He had always hated school, even back home. Having a visible mutation made him instantly a target for bullies. Even being in the Thieves Guild hadn't saved him from constantly being picked on back at his old school, although it did get him out of a lot of fights and _won_ him a lot of fights. That would not be the case here. Here, he was just another mutant freak ripe for the picking and sure enough, by his second period gym class it had already started.

Remy had been forced to change into a standard white T-shirt with the school's emblem silk-screened on the left breast along with matching red gym shorts. He sulked out onto the gym field, following behind Piotr and Pyro. Both had faired much better at fitting in than he did, since neither appeared to openly be a mutant.

It started off innocently enough as most bullying does, and some blonde oaf named Duncan had tripped him. It was obvious that it had been on purpose, but Remy kept his cool, following Magneto's strict orders not to cause any trouble. If any of these stupid humans had any idea who he worked for and what he was capable of doing, no one would come near him. But as it turned out, he was playing the role of some poor kid transferred from New Orleans to Bayville.

At least Piotr was blending in quite well. His natural physical abilities and strength quickly caught the attention of their peers. While Remy spent his gym class holding his temper and being knocked around roughly, Piotr was gaining acceptance and new 'friends'.

The worst part about gym class was that up in the bleachers sat Rogue, who had a second period spare. To add to Remy's annoyance and humiliation, she got to witness the whole horrible gym class and see exactly what was being done to him. He hated being forbidden to retaliate, and by the time the class was finished even Pyro was looking pretty pissed off.

"Why didn't you at least use your reflexes, mate?" Pyro hissed at him. "I've seen you dodge far worse."

"One of us has to be the outcast, and it appears that I've already been picked for that," Remy answered dully. He risked a glance up in the bleachers to where Rogue sat. She had a quiet furry playing across her tight lips and furrowed brow.

By lunchtime, it was official. Three boys in football jerseys had walked past the table he sat at with Piotr and Pyro. One deliberately tipped Remy's lunch tray to the floor. Remy, balling up his fists, bent over to retrieve it while Piotr was being invited to sit at the 'cool kids' table along with Pyro, who in third period had managed to wow the group with his antics and sense of humour.

"Oh, just go," Remy replied sourly when both his companions looked hesitant to leave him alone and follow the crowd. "We're supposed to be blending in here, just like the boss ordered."

"But your lunch…" Piotr had started to say when Remy flashed a brief smile and held up a wallet that had belonged to one of the jerks.

"It's on your new friends." Remy smiled, and Pyro laughed.

"Come on, mate," he said to Colossus, getting up with his tray, "our Cajun will be just fine."

Across the room, at the same table Rogue sat at silently watching Remy, Jean wrinkled her nose in disgust after noticing the disturbance at the table the Acolytes had occupied.

"Ugh!" She began, outraged. "Can you believe that? Duncan and his goons are such jerks."

"Sympathy for an Acolyte, Jean?" Scott replied a little offended.

"He's still one of us, you know. A mutant, and his Acolyte buddies have just ditched him in favour of fitting in. It's disgusting." Jean huffed, almost rising to her feet.

"He's _not_ one of us," Scott replied back. "He's no different than any of the Brotherhood rejects we tried to help, so don't bother, Jean. Don't think for a second that Gambit can't handle himself, you know better. Right now we're just lucky that he's refraining from fighting with Duncan. Otherwise, we'd have a real mess on our hands."

"Why do you think they're here anyway?" Kitty asked.

"Most likely to spy on us and the Brotherhood," Scott answered. "I think we should all be on our guard, but let's not cause any trouble. You all know what the Professor said about keeping a low profile."

"At least we won't have any classes with them," Kurt chirped up between bites, motioning to Kitty and Evan. They were in the lower grades, so only Jean, Scott and Rogue would actually have class with the Acolytes.

"That doesn't mean you still won't run into them. They know who we are, just like we know who they are." Scott warned.

Rogue wanted nothing more than to get up and take her tray over to Remy's table. She knew he was utterly miserable, no matter how well he tried to play it off. She knew that Remy was far from being the type of guy who just took abuse, and she wondered just how long her boyfriend's patience with the bullying would last.

So far, she hadn't had the opportunity to approach Remy or have him approach her. She wanted to check up on him and make sure he was okay. She could tell it was hard for him to be one of the singly obvious mutants in the school. With his eyes, there was no way around that. He hadn't even been given a chance before he was made a target. Now everyone seemed to avoid the new mutant, thanks to Duncan.

"At least since I had to show them around, I got a copy of their schedules," Scott was saying and Rogue's ears perked up in attention. "They have Chemistry with us next period."

Rogue abruptly got up from her seat as an idea formed in her head. The bell was about to ring, and she needed to time this right.

"Aw Crap! I forgot my Chemistry book," She lied, hurrying off out of the cafeteria as Jean cautioned her to hurry up.

The bell rang and she lollygagged around in halls, wasting enough time so that she'd purposely be late for class. Chemistry was a class in which they worked in pairs, and normally Rogue's lab partner was her friend, Risty. Except today she knew who'd be left without a partner and who she would be stuck with by default for showing up late. Remy had already been established as an outcast and she was willing to bet he was now sitting by himself at a lab table.

By showing up late she could sit with Remy and not have it be suspicious to Scott or Jean at all. Plus, she wouldn't be hurting Risty's feelings by choosing someone else as her lab partner. She gave it five more minutes before she entered the classroom.

"Miss Adler," her teacher scolded sternly, "you're late."

"Sorry," Rogue mumbled feebly. "I forgot my Chemistry book and had to go back and get it."

Her science teacher sighed.

"Very well, Remy still needs a lab partner. Go take a seat with him."

Rogue headed to the very back of the class where Remy sat by himself and sat down. He gave her a sly smirk and slipped his open notebook in her direction. She glanced down at the ink on the page.

_Clever plan._

She picked up her pen and wrote underneath his words in response.

_I thought so, now no one will suspect either of us deliberately seeking out the other._

He quickly scribbled.

_You look 'do me' hot today._

She almost laughed out loud before hastily replying.

_So, why don't you then?_

He licked his lips before furiously scratching out an answer.

_Name a time and a place, Chere, and I will._

She bit her lip to keep quiet when she felt his hand slide along her thigh underneath the lab table. He moved it slowly, teasing her with his touch and she shot a pleased glance in his direction. He met her eyes with all the mischief in the world swimming in his, before he arched his hand up further and in between her legs. Her pen was moving fast in her hands.

_I want you now._

He clicked his tongue slightly.

_Too bad we're busy learning about bases and acids._

She rolled her eyes. He was being a tease on purpose. She closed Remy's book and held up her hand, calling out to her teacher. Alarmed, Remy pulled his hand back.

"Mr. Stevenson? It looks like Remy's been given an outdated textbook, and he doesn't remember the way to the Councilor's office. Can I take him to get a proper book?"

"Can't you just share yours for today?"

"I would, but I have that skin condition…"

"I'm sure Mr. LeBeau can keep his hands to himself for one class while you share a textbook," her teacher snapped impatiently. "It'll be fine, Anna."

Remy opened up his notebook again, scribbling on a new page.

_Nice try. We were almost home free… Anna. How come you've never told me your real name?_

_What makes you think it's my real name?_ She jotted down quickly.

He gave a slight shrug.

_If it's not, you picked a pretty alias._

She hesitated, tapping her pen before answering.

_Are you going to make an issue out of this? My name, I mean?_

His pen came down with one word.

_Non._

_Even though I know your real name?_ She pressed.

_A name is something I call you by, Chere. It doesn't define you. You call me by many things._

A smile touched her lips and she responded.

_Sugar._

He leaned in closer to share her textbook, moving his hand back onto her lap, gently stroking her thigh again through the skirt's fabric. She was glad they were at the back of the room so no one noticed what they were doing, because it wasn't long before her hand found his thigh.

_This right here, makes being back at school worth it._ He wrote slowly and Rogue nodded. She couldn't agree more.

Unnoticed by Remy and Rogue, an angry pair of eyes watched them from across the room. She watched Rogue interact silently on paper with the mutant, Gambit. Every so often they would smile comfortably at each other and warning bells would sound off in Mystique's brain. She was far from keen on her daughter showing any interest in one of that traitorous Magneto's Acolytes. It was bad enough that Rogue had defected to Xavier's institute and that in order to remain close to her daughter she had had to take up the guise of 'Risty', befriending Rogue that way.

At least as Risty, Mystique could try and persuade Rogue not to get involved with Gambit. She didn't think it'd be all that hard of thing to do, considering that Rogue's other mutant friends would feel the same way. Rogue would heed the advice if it was suggested to her from two different parties. Rogue tended to agree with what Mystique suggested as Risty anyway.

It was unsettling to see some of the Acolytes here at Bayville High, and for whatever reason, Magneto wanted them here blending in and spying. She would have to be on her guard. Rogue was too powerful a mutant to just let slip through the cracks or hand over fully to Charles or Erik. That was why Mystique's persona 'Risty' existed. Mystique refused to give up her hand in the girl's upbringing.


	6. Chapter 6

For Remy, the only good thing about being back in school was getting to see Rogue more often. She had managed to become his lab partner in chemistry class, and he had managed to get a seat beside her in English. As for gym class, Remy figured he'd skip that one all together and hang out with Rogue on her spare.

Skipping certainly wasn't going affect him poorly anyway. His physical abilities had never come into question, nor did they need improvement. Remy had always been highly agile and nimble, with a quickness and grace that went unmatched. He was strong enough with enough bulk that had he wanted to, he could easily play football or rugby. Besides, gym seemed to be the class he was hassled in the most and he hated, absolutely _hated_ wearing the gym clothes. He felt like the biggest tool in the world wearing little, red gym shorts.

He liked the idea of being able to sneak off with Rogue during the day for an hour while all their peers were preoccupied with learning and studying. He just needed to find a place that they could go to that was either on school property or nearby that would grant them the privacy they would need. It was a better option than having her sneak out of the mansion all the time and him sneak her into the warehouse. Not that he wanted that to stop. One hour in between classes certainly could not and would not replace her in his arms for an entire night, but it would make it easier for them to spend as much time as they could together.

They had been lucky this morning, and Remy knew it. If Piotr hadn't have made all that noise outside his bedroom door this morning trying to restrain Pyro, Remy would have been caught red handed with Rogue in his bed. There would have been no mistaking at all what they had been up to either. Instead, all Pyro had found was a pair of panties belonging to some mystery girl that Remy had had over in the course of the evening.

It had been a very close call, and Remy hated that he was beginning to see just how hard maintaining secrecy was becoming.

His next and most irritating problem was the anti-mutant humans who had seemed to target him instantly at school. He hated playing the victim and seeming weak, but for now, Magneto had ordered them not to cause any trouble. They were there for a higher purpose and Remy was to endure the hassling and report everything back to Magneto.

Secretly, he couldn't wait to get the order to retaliate back, although he knew damn well it wouldn't be a fair fight at all for the mutant hating Duncan. Remy had very little remorse in those sorts of situations, especially if he was being taunted and hassled on purpose. _The absolute arrogance of some people_, he couldn't understand why any human would be so stupid as to try to provoke a mutant. It was obvious that the mutants were the superior of the two. It was like a gazelle picking a fight with a lion.

If everyday was going to be like today, Remy knew his patience would not hold out.

"Look at all these, mates." Pyro beamed, holding up a fistful of slips of paper and jerking Remy from his musings. "I'm turning out to be a better ladies man than you, Gambit!"

Remy couldn't help but laugh and Piotr just rolled his eyes as Pyro let the various phone numbers flutter onto their kitchen table. There had been no mistaking that half of the cheerleading squad had taken to Pyro after he'd been invited to their table at lunch. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Pyro incurred the wraith of Duncan and company as well, but for entirely different reasons.

"If they weren't so frightened of a mutant, Remy would have you beat," Piotr replied smugly. "Don't expect much popularity once they discover what you really are."

"Are you saying our Swamp Rat is better looking than me?" Pyro asked with mock hurt, holding his hand over his heart with a wounded expression.

"Course he is." Remy smirked, joining in. "Anyone with eyes can see that."

"The only shiela you got to talk to kicks your ass on a daily basis." Pyro laughed wickedly. "How's that for irony? Having to share a textbook with one of our enemies, and the one you can't touch no less! Would have been much more fun to snuggle up to Cyclops' red head."

Remy just shook his head, downplaying the conversation. He couldn't have asked for a better lab partner than Rogue, not that Pyro would ever know that. Colossus wisely kept quiet on the whole matter.

"I thought for sure I was going to be the reject." Pyro continued. "Never did fair well in school."

"If you'd been pegged the outcast, a fight would've already broken out," Colossus interrupted. "It is good that it was Remy and not you in that respect."

"Oh, _yeah_," Remy drawled sarcastically. "It's _so great_ that I can't just beat the shit out of Duncan and the rest of those morons. It's also _super awesome_ to be loathed and avoided by all. Oh, and while we're on the topic, I just _adore_ being shoved around, having my lunch trays flipped, books knocked from my desk and-"

"Okay, mate. We _get it_. It sucks," Pyro cried exasperated, "but you said it yourself, we're supposed to blend in, and we've all managed to end up somewhere on the social tiers of high school. You just happened to get the bottom, but it's not like you can't retaliate _outside_ of school."

Remy gave a sharp smile. "Just biding my time, homme."

Pyro shook his head in pity. "Humans are so stupid. If they had any idea who you were and where you came from…"

Remy only nodded in agreement. As soon as Magneto gave them the word, Remy would have his moment.

* * *

Rogue sat quietly in the team meeting after school as the Professor listened carefully to everything Scott relayed about the three Acolytes being enrolled at Bayville High.

"Did any of them interact with any of you after the tour, Scott?" the Professor asked thoughtfully.

"No, they didn't approach us or anything like that, but Rogue did have Gambit as her Chemistry partner in fourth period," Scott answered.

"I thought your Chemistry partner was that human girl you hang out with?" Logan asked, turning to Rogue.

"I was late for class," Rogue answered, "Risty had already found another partner by the time I arrived. I've been assigned to be Gambit's partner from now on."

"Since no one else would." Kurt snickered quietly to Kitty.

"I see," Xavier pondered aloud, ignoring Kurt. "Did he say anything to you?"

"No. We just did our work."

"Anything out of the ordinary?"

"I had to share my textbook with him, his was the wrong edition," Rogue replied nervously. "And I guess he's okay at figuring out Ph levels."

"He didn't try to antagonize you at all?"

"No," Rogue answered, deciding it was best to keep her answers short in case she unintentionally revealed anything.

"See, that's the thing," Jean began, "they've all been very passive and non-confrontational at school. Gambit has attracted unpleasant attention from some of the known anti-mutant students because of his eyes, but he hasn't retaliated at all. We all know he could beat the crap out of any one of those guys in a heartbeat. Instead, he's taking the abuse."

Jean went on to retell the Professor about everything that had happened in the lunchroom.

"What are you playing at, Erik?" the Professor mused out loud before addressing the group, "I think we should all pay close attention to these three mutants. I can't ascertain exactly what Magneto is up to, so we all need to keep our eyes and ears open. I don't think this needs to be said, but I'm saying it anyway; with the mutant status now public, it is imperative that you all behave as friendly and as non-threatening as possible. I don't want any of you starting or finishing a fight with the Acolytes at all on school property, understood?"

"Yes, Professor," they answered in unison.

Within the next few days, Rogue had fallen into an easy routine with Remy in regards to their school time together. For second period, Remy would skip his gym class and they'd meet amongst the props and costumes in the drama club's storage room. The theatre season was long over for the year, so the room stuffed full of everything from cardboard cutouts to furniture to fabric was the perfect, cozy, little hideout for them. Remy had stolen the key from the Guidance Counselor's office, and he would wait for her to sneak away to meet him at their private hideaway.

During Chemistry class, they sat together at the back of the room, most times hardly doing their work. It was the one and only time where they could be seen together and not have anyone suspicious about it. It was nice not to have to hide, and both enjoyed being seen together out in the open, even if it was because they were just lab partners.

Outside of school, they still met in Remy's room at the warehouse. Rogue continued to sneak out, just not as often. With the results of the team's last fight with the Acolytes, Logan hadn't left town and had occupied most of Rogue's time, making the extra effort to teach her some new moves in between her usual training sessions.

It was no secret to anyone around the mansion that each instructor had their 'favourite' or star pupil, and Logan's was Rogue. Professor Xavier had favoured Jean and Scott, while Hank had taken to Kitty. Storm would always have a soft spot for her nephew, Evan, but seemed to adore Kurt's sensitivity and sense of humour. Each teacher had found something in their prized students that reminded them of themselves.

Logan had always taken to Rogue's spirit and her ability to act on impulse alone, making quick decisions that tended to work out in her favour more often than not. Rogue also was not above getting her hands dirty and getting involved in bare-knuckle fights, well in her case, gloved-knuckle fights. Logan had appreciated that Xavier had recruited a student who wasn't afraid of an old-fashioned brawl, and although he never said it aloud, Rogue was well aware that Logan's pride had been hurt more than hers had when Xavier had pulled her from fighting Gambit.

It was in Logan's opinion, that Gambit was the best fighter (outside of Creed) within the Acolyte ranks and Logan would hardly settle for Rogue not to be the one to best him.

"I probably shouldn't be showing you this," Logan commented fiercely in their private training, "but someday snapping someone's neck just may save your life."

It was hardly the type of thing that the Professor would approve of her learning, but she followed Logan's instructions anyway, practicing on a sand filled dummy. After a couple of tries, Logan smiled with a pleased expression.

"Now let's work on those holds I showed you earlier. If you can pin me in fight for even a second, that damn Cajun won't stand a chance."

Rogue grinned. These days, Remy already didn't stand a chance when she pinned him. His male anatomy wouldn't let him, but it certainly hadn't hurt her to learn some tougher holds. It wasn't as if she would only ever be fighting Remy, not that she and Remy actually physically fought seriously anymore.

Logan hit his stopwatch and the match began. She learned quickly that she was no match for Logan and he'd managed to throw her down several times.

"C'mon, Stripes!" he shouted, "make the effort!"

She attacked again, throwing her fist and catching Logan's jaw. He only laughed. Rogue growled in frustration before sweeping her leg low enough to try and knock out Logan's footing.

"You're not strong enough for that yet," Logan growled, roughly pulling her up by her collar and tossing her away. She landed with a thud on the wrestling mats.

"You're not even giving me a chance t' pin ya!" she snapped back irritably.

"Neither will Gambit," Logan answered and Rogue stuck out her tongue.

"I've already pinned him several times in various fights!"

"Good point," Logan nodded and pulled from his fight stance. "Sometimes I forget that I'm not training you to fight someone like Creed. That's enough for today."

"Don't I get to pin you even once?" she asked, slightly miffed.

Logan only smiled. "If you find the chance, Stripes, by all means take it."

"What? You mean like anytime? Even outside of training?" she asked suspiciously.

Logan grabbed his coat and headed towards the door. "Why not?" He grinned barbarically before he left. "Until then, practice on Kurt. That will be a challenge to catch him before he 'ports."

"Are you going to tell Kurt?"

"Naw, are you?"

Rogue laughed.

"Naw." she answered with a wink as she and Logan parted ways for the night. Testing out her new holds on Kurt was the least of Rogue's plans. As soon as Logan had dismissed her from their training, she knew who she wanted to go and practice on.

She had a quick shower and slipped on a pair of jeans and a charcoal grey, long-sleeved T-shirt before quickly doing her hair and make-up. It was already well into the night, but it didn't take her long to reach her bike and start up the engine when Logan unexpectedly caught her.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Logan asked as he slid out from underneath one of the vehicles parked in the garage. Rogue cursed silently. She hadn't even seen or heard him she was in such a hurry.

"Logan, you're covered in oil."

"Made the mistake of trying to teach Evan about mechanics earlier today," Logan answered gruffly. "The kid can't control his spikes very well these days and I thought I'd fix this before Storm found out, but back on topic…"

Rogue sighed. She'd almost had Logan distracted.

"I'm going to a movie," she answered lamely.

"This late on school night?"

"C'mon, Logan." Rogue tried with her best winsome smile. "I hardly ever go out, and Risty'll already be at the theatre…"

"It's already ten, Rogue, and curfew is ten-thirty. Perhaps we should be working on your math skills instead of holds."

Her shoulders slumped and she gave Logan a disappointed frown. Logan softened his features.

"Tell you what," Logan began, "you spend tomorrow night really training, and I mean training hard and I'll let you out past curfew tonight."

"Really?" Rogue exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I expect you back here no later than twelve, got it?"

"Thanks, Logan!" Rogue smiled, pretending to be excited about a movie and extended curfew, "you're the best!"

It wasn't that she enjoyed lying to Logan, or anyone for that matter at the mansion, but she could hardly visualize Logan's reaction if she told him what she was really up to. She didn't like betraying people's trust and Logan didn't give his out easily. It meant something to have him give her permission to stay out later, and Rogue couldn't seem to push down the twinge of guilt she felt inside as she pulled her bike away from the garage.

She drove across town and up to the warehouse where Remy stayed. She parked her bike in the shadows just outside Remy's window and climbed up onto the metal barrel she used as a step. The light was on and she tapped quietly on the glass.

The towel he used as a curtain pulled back, and she gave him a slight wave when his face peered through the window. His eyes shone excitedly, they always did when she showed up. Soon the window was open and she was crawling in.

He'd made some adjustments to his room, and the chair that sat in the far corner was now propped up under the doorknob and against his bedroom door.

"An added precaution," he confessed. "I also cleared you out a drawer to put your clothes in."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

"You really are starting to hedge on paranoia, Sug."

"We came too close for comfort the other day," Remy answered as his arms slid up under her shirt as usual. "I'm not taking any chances."

She had to admire his devotion. Not too long ago she had been worried that Remy had been just itching to get caught with her. Now he was bumping up security and thinking of how to avoid getting caught.

"I can't stay for very long."

Remy made a crumpled, forlorn face and she smiled gently.

"Logan caught me in the garage as I was leaving. I told him I was going to a movie with Risty. He's letting me stay out, but I've gotta be home by midnight."

"Well then, Cinderella," he purred, "we'd better make this one a quick one, non?"

She met his grin and began to inch his shirt up and over his head.

"I just want to try a few little things first," she answered coyly before sweeping him down into one of the new holds she'd learned.

"Oh." He smirked. "I think I'm going to enjoy this."

"Just try and see if you can get out of it, will you?" she asked nervously.

"What do I get if I do?" he asked eagerly, already worming around underneath her.

"What would you like?" she answered seductively. It was the quickest way to get a real effort of escape from him, and sure enough, Remy legitimately struggled to get loose.

After a few minutes, Remy's grin widened and he stopped struggling, letting his head fall back onto the ground.

"Someone's been learning something new," he replied before anxiously biting his lip. She could see his mind busy at work, trying to discern an escape route from her hold.

"Do you give up?" she asked hesitantly.

He struggled a little bit more before letting his body go limp.

"The best I can come up with is to wait until you tire and loosen your grip," he admitted, "that or charge your gloves and force you to let go. It's a very good hold."

She let him go, still straddling his waist and grinned shyly with a sense of satisfaction.

"Can I try another on you?"

"Depends on if you're on top."

"Remy," she scolded, "you're not supposed to be getting turned on! I'm trying to practice here!"

"I know," he answered as his fingers crept along the seams of her jeans. "But you know how I feel about you on top. Perhaps we could reach some sort of agreement?"

She closed her eyes and moaned softly when his fingers began to slip her button loose and pull her zipper down. She tipped her head back in pleasure as his hands slipped inside her jeans, slowly working the denim from off her hips. She helped him shimmy off her jeans and out of her underwear. She could feel his excitement building as she poised herself above him and made a bit of a show out of removing her top and bra, letting her hand trail delicately over her skin in a slow, teasing motion.

"Ah Dieu!" he groaned with sharp, wild eyes. He couldn't seem to make his eyes big enough to take in everything she did with her fingers along her body. His grin had never been wider than when she finally went for his own button and fly, swiftly pulling his aroused member from his pants. It hardly took any work at all to get Remy going, and it was something she was quite proud of.

Nothing made her feel better about herself than the eager response she acquired from him in the bedroom. To him, she was always sexy and confident and so self-assured about everything she did. He always had that 'luckiest man alive' expression plastered to his face and Rogue adored it. No one but him seemed to have the ability to make her feel truly special and truly loved.

She got up off of him and sauntered over to his top dresser drawer to find a condom. Remy hadn't moved from where he was on the ground.

"Please tell me we're doing this on the floor," he begged as she came back to him.

"It'll have to be quick," she answered climbing back on top of him and fitting him with the condom.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem."

"And I expect you to let me try a few more holds afterwards," she warned.

"Cherie," he answered earnestly, "I will do absolutely anything you want so long as you ride me right now."

She laughed.

"You have such a way with words, Remy," she replied while sliding down onto him. His face lit up with euphoria as she slowly began to move her hips, keeping just the tiniest bit of bounce to her movements.

"Faster!" he growled impatiently, almost to point that he was whining.

She smiled down at him wickedly and tsked. "I believe I'm the one calling the shots, since I'm on top," she replied loftily.

Remy groaned in pleasure-induced frustration.

"Come on, cherie!" he exclaimed, "I thought you wanted a quick one?"

"Looks like I've got you in another hold you can't get out of," she teased in delight.

"Oh, I can get out of this one," he smirked. His hands moved to grip her waist and guide her along more to his liking and tempo.

"That's not fair!" she gasped between soft moans.

"It's certainly not my fault that you have a tiny, easy to grip waist and that I'm a lot stronger than you." Remy answered breathlessly as Rogue stop resisting his increase in speed and began to match it. Remy cried out unexpectedly and she felt him quiver in satisfaction. His hands slipped from her waist and to his sides, she rolled off of him giving him wry look.

"You had better finish what you started."

"Sorry, ma cherie." He grinned, moving his hand back to her more intimate places and expertly working her body up to a state of bliss. He had by far the most talented hands and soon she was shuddering in joy against his fingers.

After both were sated, they continued to lie quietly beside each other on his floor. Remy had a dazed, content look on his face and stared up at the ceiling. Rogue enjoyed watching him in his post-coital bliss, but then, she always did. There was something so indescribably and utterly satisfying about knowing that she'd rocked his world, that it was almost impossible to take her eyes away from the fully contented body beside her.

He caught her gazing at him and gave her a lazy smile before rolling over to grab a long-sleeved shirt from the floor.

"That was definitely a good hold, Chere." Remy grinned as he shrugged his shirt back on, snuggling up close and tucking his arm underneath her. Instinctively, she nestled her head into his chest.

She wished she could stay like this forever. With him, she always did, but they were bound by a strict code of rules that each had to obey in order to keep seeing the other. Rogue longed for the day when there would be no more hiding - if that day would ever come.

It was always in the back of her mind just how long Remy would be hers and when they would have to part ways. He was very good at reassuring her, and promising her the moon, and telling her that he loved her, but when push came to shove, she wanted to know if he'd always remain an Acolyte. She never dared ask him. They just didn't talk about it, but concerns had arisen within her team as to why the younger Acolytes were at Bayville High.

It wasn't right for her to ask him, and she knew that it would cross some of their carefully laid out boundaries by asking, but if she had some sort of warning or heads up as to what the Acolytes were doing at school…

"Remy?" she asked softly.

"Hmmm?" he moaned sleepily.

"Why are you back at school? I mean I know you already graduated, and both Pyro and Piotr must have as well-"

"C'mon, cherie," Remy answered, "you know that's business you're infringing on, and we agreed no talking about work."

"Yes, but I told you about the switch up in fighting partners, and you didn't seems to cry 'work talk' then."

Remy shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, but that was something that pertained directly to us being discovered," Remy argued. "What I'm doing at Bayville High doesn't exactly pertain to us or to keeping us incognito."

She wanted to ask him again just how long they planned to keep this up, but she already knew how he'd answer. Even if he did answer differently, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear it. The longer they continued this, the guiltier Rogue felt, especially when she knew that her boyfriend was up to no good at the high school. She was keeping things from the people who had gone out of their way to help her and take her into their home.

"I don't want you to get into any trouble," she whispered. "I know you're there because you're working for Magneto and I'm worried."

Remy gave a soft sort of chuckle.

"It's nothing I can't handle, cherie," Remy answered in a rather cocky tone, "and it's hardly anything you need to worry about, I promise."

"Promise me we won't have to fight at school."

"Chere-"

"Promise me, Remy!"

"I… I can't," Remy answered with a pained expression. "I don't know all the details yet and-"

Rogue slid from his arms in defeat and proceeded to get dressed. She didn't want to fight him on this and she knew if she stayed, she'd start something. Remy sat up and ran his hands through his hair.

"I've upset you and now you're leaving," Remy sighed in frustration.

"Look, Hon, it's not just you," she answered as gently as she could, but Remy was already getting to his feet.

"No, this happens every time we disagree. You constantly leave before we ever clear anything up," Remy replied. "We can't keep doing this!"

"And how are we supposed to quit?" she cried in desperation.

It was the question neither had an answer for. Remy glanced away, scowling at the floor.

"I want you to stay," he said quietly after several minutes.

"I can't," she answered, walking slowly towards him and tipping his face up to meet her eyes. "It's almost midnight and I can't be late."

Remy nodded with a tight, clenched jaw.

"We will finish this conversation someday, won't we?" he asked almost bitterly.

It was Rogue's turn to nod somberly.

"For now let's just play pretend. I'm sorry I brought it up."

Rogue turned sadly away from him and climbed out of his window. She never should have brought up work. There was a reason that they had made those rules.

"Rogue!" he called after her, dashing to the window. She turned in time for his hands to reach her hair and affectionately finger a few locks. "So far, we're just watching things at Bayville. That's the best I can do."

"I still can't stay," she answered regretfully.

"I didn't tell you that so you would," he replied honestly.


	7. Chapter 7

Rogue had had the worst sleep of her life. She'd hardly gotten a wink at all after she'd left Remy and returned to the mansion. What little sleep she had gotten was plagued by strange nightmares. Nightmares that she wasn't entirely sure were her own.

It wasn't the first time she'd had disrupted sleep patterns because of the memories she'd absorbed from others. She hated when things that didn't belong to her crept up into her subconscious in the night and took over.

Kitty had to wake her up for school, commenting the Rogue looked rough and shouldn't have been out so late. Rogue made sure that by the time she hit the breakfast table she looked right as rain. She didn't want Logan to think her poor sleep had been because he let her stay out late.

At school, she tracked down Risty as soon as she could. It was imperative that Rogue have someone be able to back her, should anyone ask Risty how the movie was last night. Kitty had been known to snoop into Rogue's life and the fact that she had gotten permission to stay out late would have Kitty wanting all the details.

She met up with her unusual human friend in the hallway and quickly pulled her aside.

"Hey, Rist?" Rogue began quietly. "In case anyone asks, you and I were at a movie last night."

Risty raised a curious eyebrow and Rogue could tell her friend wanted all the details of what she'd been up to last night.

"What movie did we go see?" Risty asked with intrigue.

"I don't know, just some run-of-the-mill slasher flick, I guess."

"And what were you really doing?" Risty pressed with a mischievous grin.

"I just needed to get out of the mansion for awhile. Some days it drives me nuts. I went out for a bike ride, that's all, but if anyone knew I was out that late by myself-"

"And here I thought it was a boy." Risty scowled in disappointment.

Rogue frowned.

"Rist, you know that's impossible, 'cause of-"

"Right, right, your mutation," Risty answered hastily. "It's hard to remember you're a mutant sometimes, Rogue."

Rogue smiled warmly. "Thanks, Rist."

It made Rogue's day to know that not everyone defined her by her mutant status. To Risty, Rogue was just like any other girl.

"To be honest," Risty continued sheepishly, "once you said you snuck out, I thought you were gonna tell me it was with that guy in Chemistry."

Rogue stared at her friend in shock, willing herself to find some sort of words to answer. She and Remy weren't that obvious to the public eye; at least that's what she had thought until now.

"What guy in Chemistry?" Rogue asked stupidly and Risty laughed.

"Come on! Are you serious?" Risty practically shrieked in amazement. "I'm talking about your new lab partner!"

"Oh, you mean Remy," Rogue answered dully and completely uninterested. "He's okay, I guess."

"You guys always look friendly in class."

"He's my lab partner, Rist," Rogue answered dryly. "And he happens to be very good at Chemistry, so being nice means I might not flunk the class."

Risty breathed a sigh of relief that didn't go unnoticed by Rogue. It was her turn to give Risty a quizzical look.

"Oh, don't look at me like that!" Risty answered. "I've heard some things about him around the school, that's all. I was worried that you might start liking him since he's the only guy you ever seem to talk to outside of your Institute buddies."

"Like what kind of things?" Rogue asked, trying to keep her tone light and gossipy.

"Not very good things," Risty whispered. "Look, if I don't move it, I'm gonna be late for class. We'll have to talk later."

"Yeah, see ya, Rist," Rogue answered perplexed. It wasn't like Risty not to divulge the latest gossip as soon as she heard it. It had Rogue wondering what sort of rumours were circulating about Remy and whether or not he knew about it.

The bell was about to ring and she hurried to her class. She would have to wait until second period to speak with Remy. After their conversation last night, she wasn't entirely sure how this was going to go over with him.

She avoided making eye contact with Remy when she sat at her desk, which was fairly easy since he didn't sit anywhere near her. He usually sat at the back of every classroom, and Rogue had realized that it was because the anti-mutant kids would throw stuff at the back of his head if he didn't.

Second period did not come fast enough and when it did, Rogue was on pins and needles as she waited for the halls to clear out so she could go meet Remy.

Once inside the drama room's storage department, she closed the door softly behind her. Remy was waiting for her on one of the antique couches the drama club used in many of their productions. His expression and demeanor were rather grim in comparison to his usual eagerness and excitement to see her. She swallowed hard and proceeded to approach him. He moved over for her when she reached the couch and she sat down beside him.

"So," she started nervously as an awkward, tense air filled the room. "Risty says there's all sorts of bad rumours circulating the school about you."

"I imagine that's coming from Piotr," Remy answered in a bored tone.

"I thought you said Piotr was a good guy?"

"Oh, he is." Remy mused. He seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts and not in much mood to discuss them with her. "You look tired."

It was classic Remy to change topic when he wasn't apt to sharing with her.

"I didn't sleep very well last night," she admitted.

Remy titled his head towards her with a slight frown on his face.

"Bad dreams?" he asked gently, and she could see the concern in his eyes.

"Yeah." She nervously brushed hair from eyes. "How did you know?"

"That's the only time you never sleep well. I've noticed it from time to time," he replied quietly. "I would have woken you up."

She smiled and placed her hand on his lap. "I know you would've, Sug."

Remy let out a deep breath.

"I don't want to argue anymore with you," he whispered. "I want our time together to be just us and nothing else. It seems that it's not a very plausible solution, though."

"It's getting harder to keep this up, isn't it?" Rogue asked. Suddenly she was fearful of the answer and where it would lead.

"Yeah." Remy gave a faint smile. "But I'm not ready to quit yet. I don't think I could."

"Me either." She inched closer to him and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"I don't want you worrying about me, Rogue," Remy said quietly into her ear. "And I don't want you mad at me either."

"I'm not mad at you," she answered quickly. "I'm just feeling lost right now, like I'm not too sure which side I'm playing for anymore."

"Yeah," Remy answered. "I know that feeling."

"I guess that's the problem with having a difference in opinion, but we could agree to disagree for a little while longer, right?"

Remy smiled and hugged her tight. "Yeah, cherie, we could."

Rogue was glad that they'd straightened things out and were back to normal, well as normal as they could be. With things tentatively resolved, the rest of the hour flittered away almost too quickly.

"Well," Rogue sighed, grabbing her backpack. "I'll see you in Chemistry."

Remy gave her a strange, fleeting look before his faced closed off emotionally from her again. He smiled brightly and answered, "Of course, cherie."

She tried to downplay his troubled expression, deciding that maybe, like her, he just had a lot on his mind.

It wasn't until lunchtime, when she sat in her usual spot in the cafeteria, that she realized what had been troubling Remy. She had been busy listening to Kitty trilling on about some new song she'd heard on the radio when a loud crash across the cafeteria startled her into looking up in horror.

While she'd been occupied, something had happened at Remy's table, something that had finally made Remy snap. Sure enough, Rogue looked up to see Remy aggressively towering over Duncan, who was pinned by the neck against the cafeteria table in which Remy had been sitting at. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Duncan's friends were on their way over to help him.

Someone yelled out, "fight!" and soon the cafeteria echoed in the chanting of that one word. Scott was already on his feet and about to head over to the table when Colossus reached it first. Rogue's jaw dropped in shock as the big man grabbed Remy roughly by his collar. In the blink of an eye, he threw Remy up off of Duncan and against the wall. She cringed when Remy's body made contact with the bricks and failed to get back up immediately.

Colossus had turned on him, and as the big mutant advanced towards Remy, Rogue screamed, "Leave him alone!" She was already pulling off a glove before her body moved swiftly towards where Colossus stood.

"Rogue!" Scott barked, but it was too late. Rogue had already reached the scene and stood protectively between Colossus and Remy.

"I know what you are," Rogue hissed in low voice so only Colossus could hear her, "and I guarantee that if I touch you right now, everyone else will know too. I suggest it's time you backed off now."

To her surprise, Colossus merely nodded before he stepped back and went to help Duncan up. The two disappeared back to their table, leaving Rogue alone with Remy while everyone watched what she would do. She slipped her glove back on and held it out to Remy. He never took it.

"Both of you!" Principal Kelly shouted from behind her, "In detention now!"

It took Rogue a moment to realize the principal was addressing her and Remy, not Duncan and Colossus, who were rightfully to blame. Rogue knew better than to argue and it seemed that Remy did to. He silently got up from the floor and allowed Principal Kelly to roughly grab his arm along with Rogue's. The principal proceeded to haul them off to detention.

A soon as they were alone in the empty room, just off of the staffroom that was used for detention, Remy turned furiously to her with sharp, blazing eyes.

"Just what the hell did you think you were doing back there?" He asked angrily.

Rogue stared at him in shock. This was hardly the reception from him she'd been expecting.

"Well, I thought that I was helping you!" she bit back, holding her temper. "A 'thank you' would have been nice, since I saved you from getting your ass pummeled in by that traitor!"

Remy ran his hands through his hair in frustration. The agitated expression on his face never went away. "Chere, it was a set up to get me in here! I'm a _job _right now!"

Rogue's jaw dropped in aghast. "You purposely attacked Duncan?"

"I didn't need much motivation," Remy admitted. "The guy has all but been asking for it since day one, so you can't really say it wasn't well deserved."

Rogue bit her lip, she couldn't really argue with that.

"So," she broached, stretching her arms. "What are we doing in here anyway?"

"_We_ aren't doing anything," Remy answered sternly. "And I believe that we agreed that we didn't ask each other these questions."

"I'm not going to be an accomplice or anything?" she asked suspiciously.

"Depends on whether or not you cover for me if anyone comes looking." Remy grinned his mischievous grin before standing up on the desk he'd been sitting at. He slipped a small pocket screwdriver from his coat pocket and began unscrewing the screws from the air vent grate above him.

Rogue remained silent, watching him curiously, as he handed her the metal grate he'd removed from the ceiling. He proceeded to hook his hands along the vent's ledge and pull himself up into the school's duct work.

"Remy!" Rogue whispered angrily as he disappeared soundlessly through the vents. He didn't answer her, and Rogue seriously debated going after him. Her boyfriend had purposely gotten himself hauled into detention so that he could enter someplace else through the vents.

She tried to concentrate and visualize the school schematics to figure out where he was going. She groaned inwardly. It had to be Principal Kelly's office. It was the room over from the Detention Room.

Her body stiffened in fear as she caught the shadow of a teacher walk past the milky, frosted window on the detention room door. There was no way Remy could've gotten into this room easily with all of the teachers mingling around in their staffroom. It had been much simpler to cause a scene, and be brought in here instead.

The more Rogue thought about it, the more she realized just how airtight the plan was. Whatever Remy was doing was something that wasn't good, and it was something for Magneto. He had the perfect alibi if any suspicion led to him. Remy couldn't have possibly done anything because he was locked up in detention. Someone would have noticed him leaving the room through the staffroom… at least if she kept her mouth shut, Remy had an alibi.

As much as she didn't want Remy to get caught, she was thankful that her team, and not Magneto's, had acquired both Kitty and Kurt. Their mutations would have been perfect for this mission that Remy was on.

Rogue sat at one of the empty desks, fidgeting with her hair while diligently watching the hole in the ceiling. She still had no idea what she was going to do if a teacher came in here, was she supposed to cover for Remy, or was she supposed to rat him out?

She had never been directly placed in a situation where she might have to choose between Remy and what was right. It was blatantly obvious that he was up to no good, but she still couldn't bring herself to go and tell someone. She was torn in two, and it was her own fault. She sighed mournfully, plopping her chin into her hands and remembered why this had all started in the first place.

Once upon a time, she had had the hugest crush on Scott, but he had liked Jean better. It was actually one of the main reasons she had even started flirting with Gambit in the first place. It was nice to have someone reciprocate her feelings, or at least show interest in her. And as the flirting continued, she had been inexplicably jealous when Gambit flirted with the other girls during fights— not that his flirting with the other girls had lasted for very long.

For whatever reason, he had made a point to single her out in a fight and it had always made Rogue feel special. It made her feel like she was wanted and even valued all on her own. It was crazy to get such validation from an enemy, but at the time, Rogue had craved any kind of attention from a boy. It was disappointing to know that her neediness was the root of her and Remy's relationship, and the source of all the lies she had to keep coming up with to keep it.

Had she found someone who had showed interest in her at the mansion or at school, things would have been different. She had wanted Scott to be that person, but as nice as Scott was to her, he just didn't understand her or like her in that way. It was a huge shock when she realized that Gambit understood her perfectly. He understood exactly how she felt about things, how she wanted to be, and what she craved most in life. He liked her just for being her.

It was actually incredibly easy to fall in love with Gambit. Even when they were just messing around, there was always something about the way he treated her, or the way he would talk to her, that she just knew he understood who she really was. She fell for him quickly, but she knew the score. She knew they were in the basest of terms just 'fuck buddies'. She had never revealed her love for him. She wouldn't dare.

The day he had said it first, was by far the happiest day of her life. It was the day that she officially belonged somewhere and belonged with _someone_. She had needed so badly to be loved and although everyone at the mansion cared deeply for her, she never really got that sense of love that she had been craving. With Gambit admitting his true feelings, it was finally safe for to admit her own.

A soft rustling above caught her attention and she popped her head up towards the hole. Remy had returned; head first through the hole. To her relief, it was well before she was faced with the decision to actually have to cover for him. No one had come in, and for that, she was grateful. It was a close call in her books, because she still struggled with whether or not she would have covered for him.

She was silently furious with herself and with Remy as he slipped from the hole, landing swiftly on the desk. He made short time of replacing the grating and screws. He dusted himself off and looked rather pleased with himself. Rogue didn't ask and Remy didn't tell.

After a few silent and uncomfortable minutes, Remy finally spoke up, "I'm sorry you got involved in this. I never meant for that to happen."

"I'm not involved," Rogue clipped stubbornly. "No one came in—"

"No one had to come in for you to rat me out," Remy reminded her quietly. It was true. She could have gone to one of the teachers at any time and told on him. Instead, she had watched the hole in the ceiling, hoping he'd come back soon.

"It's my own fault for getting involved," she muttered.

"I didn't think you would," he answered.

"I couldn't help it. I honestly thought you were in trouble."

He smiled and inched his body closer to hers, resting his elbows on her desk. "Sometimes I think you're just too good for me, cherie."

"Can we talk about something else now? I don't want to feel torn in two anymore."

Remy only nodded. "Forget about this one. You never saw anything."

It was easier said than done. She couldn't forget about it. Instead of doing what was right, she had let Remy complete his job. This conflict of interests was beginning to take its toll. She debated whether or not she should tell her team what she had witnessed. The fact that she even _had_ to debate that thought in the first place had her questioning a lot of things.


	8. Chapter 8

Rogue sat in Principal Kelly's office in complete mortification. She was sure that she was going to be in so much trouble once she was removed from detention and informed that Professor Xavier had been contacted. He was her acting guardian. Rogue could only imagine how disappointed he would be to hear that she had been involved in a fight on school grounds—a fight that involved the Acolytes.

Remy slouched in a chair a few feet away from her, shuffling a deck of cards with a bored, platonic expression on his face. He paid no attention to her whatsoever, which was probably a good thing. If he seemed friendly towards her, it might arouse suspicion. She knew he was looking out for her and trying to take on as much of the blame as he could in Principal Kelly's eyes.

She crossed her arms angrily and slouched down in her chair as well. Rogue dreaded the Professor's arrival and what he would say. This was all Remy's fault. If he had just told her during second period what was going to go down at lunch, she would have stayed out of it. She had honestly believed that he was in danger and was only trying help.

Now Professor Xavier was on his way down to the school, and worse, she had helped Remy by not ratting him out while he crawled along the school's venting system.

At least Logan wasn't coming down to get her. She couldn't even imagine how he'd react. Although… Logan did understand the allure of a good fight, so maybe things would fair better if he were the one coming down to talk with Principal Kelly. Rogue clenched her jaw tightly as she watched the clock ticking ever so slowly towards her impending doom.

The secretary knocked, opening the door at the same time, to reveal both Charles Xavier and Magneto. Rogue had to do a double take. Magneto looked as normal and as non-threatening as any other human on the street. He was dressed well in a cream coloured, cable knit sweater and dark, wool slacks. He carried a light, fall coat in one arm. The Professor was dressed as he usually was, in a smart, dark suit and glossy, polished shoes.

Both men entered the room and Rogue was amazed how calm both were. She had expected an all out battle between the Professor and Magneto. After all, they were adversaries. Instead, both were acting like attentive and agreeable parents, ready to apologize and scold their wards accordingly.

"_Oh dear_, Remy." Magneto clicked his tongue in disapproval. "I hardly expected it to be you when I got the phone call." He turned to Principal Kelly and spoke, "He's always been such a good, well mannered boy."

"Mutant," Kelly corrected in contempt and Magneto's eyes flashed angrily.

"Excuse me?" Magneto answered tersely.

"In case you haven't noticed, he's a mutant, _not_ a boy," Kelly answered with disdain. "A mutant who deliberately, and for no reason, attacked one of our human students at lunch break."

Rogue straightened up in outrage, ready to jump in and defend Remy when the Professor's voice resounded loudly in her head.

"_Leave it alone, please, Rogue."_

"_But Professor—"_

"_I will get your side of the story, Rogue, but not here. We will address this when we get home. For now, I would like you to remain silent and look apologetic, understood?"_

"_Yes, sir."_

Rogue heaved another great sigh, blowing the stray lock of white hair from her eyes. What good would explaining all this back at the mansion do? Kelly was making them look to be the bad guys, when really Duncan had deserved it and started it.

She supposed that she didn't want to cause any more trouble, and was thankful that the Professor was highly skilled in telepathic communication. But at the same time, this was so unbelievably unfair and downright prejudice.

"I assure you, here and now, Mr. Lehnsherr," Principal Kelly continued roughly, "that we do not tolerate violent behaviours such as bullying and delinquency along with skipping classes here at Bayville High. It is obvious that your ward has some anger and superiority issues that need to be worked on. And frankly, if he doesn't put that deck of cards away and wipe that smug expression off his face right now, I'm going to have him suspended."

Magneto loomed menacingly over Principal Kelly. "I'm not sure I like the tone you're taking with me, Mr. Kelly."

Professor Xavier spoke up, promptly interrupting the two men, "Excuse me, gentlemen, but I'm unclear as to what Anna has to do with all this."

Principal Kelly looked at the Professor as though he was an absolute idiot. "Miss. Adler backed up Mr. LeBeau in the fight! I thought I'd made that very clear on the phone when we spoke earlier."

"Yes, I understand that. But from what I've gathered, Anna has already been to detention and I'm sure she's very sorry for getting involved. She must have misunderstood what was really going on. As you can plainly see in her school records, Anna is a good student and doesn't cause trouble. I think you'll agree that this is the first I've been called here."

"Yes, well, she _is_ a mutant," Kelly answered back a little annoyed at having his words thrown back at him.

"And did she or Mr. LeBeau use their mutations on the human student?" the Professor asked calmly.

"No, but—"

"And you saw to it that both were already reprimanded for their behaviour, isn't that correct?"

"Yes, I told you they've already been in detention." There was a little red vein appearing on Principal Kelly's forehead as he tried to hold his temper with Xavier's calm and pleasant questions.

"Then I see no point to delaying you any further in your duties here at the school, Mr. Kelly. Anna has already learned her lesson, and I believe that the incident is now over and done with." The Professor turned to Rogue, "Come, Anna, let's go home."

Rogue quickly got up from her chair and followed the Professor out of Principal Kelly's office, keeping her eyes to the ground. Logan was waiting for them with one of the Professor's shiny, black vehicles in the parking lot. Once they were all inside and driving back to the mansion, Xavier addressed her again, "You may begin telling us what happened now, if you would like, Rogue."

Rogue fidgeted uncomfortably with the hem of her skirt.

"I wasn't going to get involved, honest!" Rogue began, "I know you told us to stay out of any fights, but when Colossus got involved, I had to step in!"

"To protect the human?" the Professor asked.

"No, to protect Gambit! I thought he was gonna get pummeled right there!"

"Let me get this straight," Logan interrupted, "you stepped into an Acolyte fight to save _Gambit_?"

Rogue froze, realizing her mistake. "I…"

She had no idea what she was supposed to say. Logan had hit the mark dead on and she had to tread carefully. Otherwise, Logan and the Professor would find out what Remy really was to her.

The Professor waited calmly for an answer, while Logan continued to drive. Neither of the men pushed her to answer, but she had to say something.

"I don't really know," she said quietly. "I mean, I just sort of reacted without thinking. You have to understand that he gets picked on all the time for being openly mutant. I wasn't going to do a thing when it was just Duncan and his friends, but then Colossus got involved…"

"And?"

"And, well, I was scared. Both could have done some real damage, especially if Gambit started throwing cards!" Rogue answered nervously. She shifted around in her seat, "Am I in big trouble?"

Logan and the Professor exchanged glances and Rogue knew they were having a private, internal conversation, via the Professor's telepathy.

"I'm sure spending the afternoon in detention with that slippery Gambit was enough of a punishment," Logan answered with a hint of a smile.

"While I don't condone your impulsive actions, Rogue, I do believe you stopped a major crisis from breaking out." The Professor added as an after thought, "As for your initial motives concerning Gambit getting hurt, that has raised some concerns with me."

Rogue paled and swallowed hard. "W-what kind of concerns?" It'd be a miracle if she could keep her voice steady.

"Nothing to be frightened of, I assure you," the Professor replied gently. "I'm just concerned because I think I know why you reacted so strongly to Gambit being in physical danger."

"You do?" Rogue felt like she was going to be sick. She so did not want Logan around for this conversation. She didn't want him to know that she'd been messing around with Gambit all this time and sneaking out. Frankly, she didn't want anyone to know unless she was ready to tell the secret herself.

"Yes, I believe that somewhere in the back of your mind, you subconsciously called up a latent memory of Gambit. You have absorbed him on quite a few occasions, and I think the confrontation in the cafeteria today may have triggered some of his defense mechanisms lingering in your mind."

"You're saying she called up his personality and reacted to the situation subconsciously?" Logan asked, sounding a little skeptical.

"Yes," the Professor replied. "It would explain why she isn't quite sure why she reacted."

Rogue felt horrible, absolutely horrible. Her lies were definitely starting to impact her life at the mansion. Now because she was keeping her relationship a secret, the Professor thought her reactions had to do with her mutation.

Rogue sunk back into her seat in despair, wishing she could just be swallowed up whole. She really wasn't sure how much longer she could keep all this up. The entire car ride home, she agonized over the pros and cons of her relationship with Remy.

When they arrived back at the mansion, she avoided everyone and hid in her room, letting the Professor cover for her with his explanation. She felt like an absolute crook.

* * *

Back at the warehouse, Remy could hardly pay attention to the meeting Magneto had called. Sure, Remy and Colossus had completed a very important task for Magneto, but Remy was having a real hard time relishing the moment. Even his cash bonus couldn't seem to compensate his melancholy or guilt.

There was something about having Rogue witness him in the midst of a job that just didn't sit right with him. He'd been playing the events of the day over and over again in his mind, trying to find a way to justify what had happened. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to do that.

No matter how many times he retraced his steps, trying to place blame elsewhere, it always ended up back on him. He should have told her during second period what was going to happen at lunch. But he really didn't think she'd get involved in a public dispute and risk revealing her affection for him. He'd been wrong, and it seemed that as punishment, he'd had to endure her disapproval regarding his job for Magneto.

Remy had ended up getting Rogue into an awful position. A position he'd never intended for her to be in to begin with. She'd been forced to choose between her beliefs and him. He knew it had been a difficult choice. It never should have happened.

He'd played the incident off easily to Magneto, explaining that he'd simply completed his job while Rogue was in the bathroom. He wouldn't dare reveal that she had covered for him while he snuck above Principal Kelly's office and recorded the Principal's lucrative phone conversation. Rogue didn't know any of that. There was no way he'd give Magneto even the slightest idea that Rogue was capable of betraying her side.

The only reason she had, was because she was in love with Remy, otherwise it never would have happened—at all.

Remy really hoped she wasn't in big trouble with Professor Xavier. The last thing he wanted was for her to get in deeper than she already was. He was worried how she would explain all this to her team. Her actions were mighty suspicious. She'd have to cover this with a huge lie. Another lie to spin to her friends and family, all for his sake.

Remy heaved a tired sigh and shook his head slightly. He caught Colossus staring at him with a concerned frown on his face. He straightened up in his chair and plastered his usual smug expression back on his face. It was better to pretend that nothing was wrong than to be approached by the guy later.

Magneto continued on with his speech, bellowing out orders for their next job. Remy was beginning to dread it. As soon as they used their powers, Professor Xavier would lock onto their mutations and send his team after them. It was the other team's advantage, having a machine that could pinpoint where a mutant was simply by the use of their powers.

Normally, Remy looked forward to the fights with Xavier's team. It meant he'd get to see Rogue, but not this time. This time, Jean Grey would be coming for him. He wasn't even sure if Rogue wanted to see him, especially if she was in trouble because of him.

He had too much on his mind right now, and the knowledge that he'd be fighting with Xavier's star psychic was not helping. His main priority was to get Rogue alone and make sure everything was okay, and probably apologize again. It was strange, he'd never felt the need to apologize to her for his actions before, but then Rogue had never been directly involved in any of his jobs before.

The Acolytes were suiting up for battle and Remy joined in, carefully unwrapping a couple of fresh decks of cards. He made sure he had extras, just in case. Magneto had them doing a public display of force today. An intimidation tactic, but Remy knew that these types of civil outbursts tended to get out of hand.

He also knew that sometimes force was necessary in accomplishing goals and getting one's point across.

And Magneto was going to do just that.

Remy couldn't really disagree with the tactics. It was imperative that they show their superiority today. Otherwise, the human population would think that mutants could be treated as second-class citizens, to be herded and monitored by government officials.

It had taken the Acolytes very little time to get ready for their next task. Magneto had all of them on board, even Creed. Remy knew that Xavier's team wouldn't be expecting Sabertooth at this particular fight. Having him would seem overly excessive, even for Magneto, but then, that was Magneto's strategy. He wanted this fight to be bigger than it should be. That was the point.

It gave Remy an uneasy feeling about their impending battle, and he wished that he could have known in advance to at least alert Rogue to be careful. He wouldn't be able to keep such a close eye on her in this fight.

Once they had arrived at their location, conveniently outside the congress buildings, Pyro had started the fireworks display. With Pyro manipulating the flames to gruesome extremes, it wasn't long before humans were panicking and screaming.

Remy shook his head in disgust. It never failed to amaze him, just how irrational people became in a crisis. Fear and panic could transform even those with the most level heads into gibbering idiots.

Following his orders, Remy began charging the harmless, everyday objects that people saw regularly on the streets. It was boring for him, and he hated charging things at random just so they'd explode. He would have preferred to blow things up with a proper target in mind, rather than for mere scare tactics.

It wasn't long after both he and Pyro had used their mutations that Xavier's team showed up. Remy frowned, doing a quick count. Xavier hadn't sent his whole team. He could see Rogue, she was always the easiest for him to spot, and he caught sight of Jean, Cyclops and the fuzzy, blue kid. He suspected by the sudden cloud cover, that Storm was out and about as well.

Jean was heading directly towards him, as Rogue veered off towards Pyro. Remy could see that Rogue's face was tight with worry, but she obeyed her orders and fought with Pyro.

Remy went after Jean with no holds barred when she reached him. His singular goal was to take the psychic out fast and hard with little damage to her person.

There was no mistaking why Jean was considered one of Xavier's star pupils. She was good, an admirable adversary in every sense of the word. Remy couldn't argue that she definitely challenged him. Her fighting lacked the primal brutality and vivacity that Rogue's did, but what she lacked in strength and energy, Jean made up for in grace and finesse.

Fighting Jean was almost like partaking in a cruel dance, and Remy couldn't deny that Xavier had been right. They were well matched in a fight. The only difference lay in their ethics. Remy was not above breaking rules and fighting dirty, whereas Jean was.

From the corner of his eye, he caught Rogue doing well against Pyro. Both fought with the same frenzied sense of crazy, and Rogue certainly wasn't adverse to strolling right up to the fire starter and stealing his power. Flames could hardly scare the girl when she was intent on taking him out.

His attention was quickly diverted back to Jean as she attacked him by flinging random objects at him from the side. He had no choice to but to focus on his opponent. Within minutes, he had lost track of where Rogue was.

It wasn't until he heard the high-pitched scream that he knew something had gone wrong. He glanced around wildly, searching for Rogue. Pyro was alone on the ground, obviously unconscious, and Rogue was nowhere in sight.

Suddenly Colossus was entering his battle with Jean, throwing the psychic across the field and away from Remy. Jean landed with a thump on the ground, clearly angry. Objects flew at Colossus in an angry flurry.

"Creed's gone after her," Colossus shouted in a breathless rush to Remy. "Towards the docks, go!"

Jean's eyes widened, overhearing his words and put two and two together. "Logan!" Jean shouted on her communicator as Remy bolted off towards the docks. "Rogue's in trouble, she's got both Creed and Gambit!"

The docking yard wasn't far from where they had staged their battle. Creed was breaking orders. Magneto had deliberately instructed that they stay within the publicly populated areas. The docks would be virtually abandoned at this time of day. To Remy, it meant only one thing. Creed had an alternate agenda.

Remy reached the docks in record time, frantically searching for Rogue. He skidded around the docking yard crates, until he found Rogue fending off Creed as best she could. Relief washed over him to see her still standing.

She was injured and clutching her side painfully, and upon closer inspection, Remy could see she was bleeding. Creed had taken a swipe at her. Judging by the amount of blood, it had been a bad one.

Remy wasted no time and lunged into action, vaulting his body into the air with the use of his staff. His weight hit Creed from behind at full force, knocking him over. Creed instantly turned on him, and Remy struggled to fight the feral man. Creed had managed to flip Remy over as though he was no more than a rag doll. Remy hit the ground with a sickening crack and was almost certain he'd just broken a rib or two.

Creed snarled viciously in his face as Remy held him at bay with his staff. The metal rod was his only defense from having his throat torn out right here and now. Suddenly, in the midst of a snarl, Creed's eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped over. His dead weight crushed Remy to the ground.

Rogue stood above the two men, and with a low growl, shoved Creed's body from off of Remy's. Remy slowly and painfully sat up. His girlfriend had managed to absorb Creed, and had a hairier-than-usual appearance. Complete with sharp little fangs protruding out from her lower jaw.

Everything but her eyes looked intimidating. They were wide and scared as she spoke to him in a panic, "He knows, Remy, _he knows!"_

Remy only nodded, comprehending her words immediately. Creed knew all about them.

He started to fall instantly into his usual routine of consoling her, when her body jerked viciously, contorting before his eyes.

"Run, Remy!" she hissed. "He'll kill you!"

Her eyes remained hers for the briefest of seconds before they switched to Creed's wild yellow. A sinister grin spread across those sharp teeth, and Remy knew in an instant that his girlfriend had disappeared and left Creed in her place.

"Cherie," he began calmly as he backed away. "This ain't you, honey. You need to fight him and—"

It was too late. She had already lunged at him. Remy had no choice but to hold her off as best as he could.

"You sneaking, little bastard," she snarled in his face, sounding eerily like Creed. "Thought you could pull one over on us, did you? I'll rip out your throat for that!"

"Rogue!" Remy shouted, keeping her at bay. "Snap out of it, girl! You are not Creed!"

It was no use. Try as he might, Remy couldn't seem to bring her personality up to the front and center of her mind, and he couldn't hold her off forever. With Creed taking over her body, she was too strong for Remy and he was hardly in the position to fight her like he would the real Creed. He didn't want to hurt her, and the unfortunate part was that she could, and would hurt him.

Remy had few options. With a certain quickness, he darted around behind her, and swiftly knocked her hard on the back of her head. She fell unconscious to the ground quicker than he had expected.

"Sorry, cherie," he apologized softly, making sure she would be okay.

He quickly went to work, struggling to pick up Creed's body. The moment Remy had the extra weight of Creed slumped over his shoulder, he gasped in pain and stumbled over. He clutched his side with his free hand. There was no doubt in his mind now that he'd broken some bones or at the very least, bruised them.

As if by a miracle, Creed's dead weight was lifted from Remy's shoulders. He turned to see Colossus flinging Creed over his broad, metal shoulders.

"We need to hurry," Colossus urged. "Wolverine is coming."

"Creed knows," Remy answered quietly. "He knows about me and her." It was the first time he'd allowed fear to show on his features.

Colossus stared solidly at him for a second with a stern expression. "Then Creed needs to disappear," the Russian mutant answered decidedly. "Come on, let us go." Colossus glanced down at the unconscious Rogue. "Is she going to be okay?"

Remy wrinkled his brow, he felt like crying. "I think so."

"We cannot stay, Remy," Colossus answered practically. "We need to take care of this now, and neither of us will fair well when Wolverine shows up."

Remy only nodded as he swallowed down heaps of guilt. Colossus was right. It would do no good to linger around Rogue until Wolverine showed up. Time was of the essence, and he needed to get rid of Creed before he woke up. The man knew about Rogue and him, and posed an open threat. Remy had to get rid of Creed as quickly as possible.

It pained him greatly to leave Rogue lying on the ground, especially by his hand, but he had done what had needed to be done. She was a danger to not only herself, but also everyone around her with Creed's personality in the driver's seat. Hopefully, when she woke up, she'd be herself again. Remy gave her one last sorrowful look before he disappeared with Colossus.

Shortly after Colossus and Remy had made their hasty departure, Logan arrived on the scene to find Rogue unconscious, furry, and with dried blood and claw marks on her clothes.

"She's down, Charles," Logan spoke quietly into his communicator. "Both Gambit and Creed are gone. I imagine the Cajun took Creed, considering Rogue's all furry again. No doubt she absorbed him. I need the jet here pronto."

It wasn't long before Jean showed up with the rest of team behind her. Jean rushed towards Rogue dropping to her knees beside her.

"Is she going to be okay?" Jean asked Logan.

"I think so. She just seems to be unconscious."

"I don't know why they both went after her," Jean continued concerned. "I was fighting Gambit when Colossus caught me from behind. He sent Gambit off to help Creed."

"Two against one," Logan muttered in disgust.

"She'd already taken down Pyro," Scott added. "Do you think that's why they sent Gambit after her too?"

"Maybe," Logan answered thoughtfully. "The Acolytes are long gone now, so we won't be getting any answers until Stripes wakes up to tell us what happened."

"This is all my fault." Jean sighed. "I should have dodged Colossus and gone after Gambit."

"He's not all that easy to dodge, Jean," Logan answered as he swept Rogue's body up into his arms. "This wasn't your fault. We just learn to do better next time."

The jet arrived and team filed solemnly into it with Logan in the lead, carrying Rogue.

Not too far away, Remy dashed silently along the shadows of the docking yard with Piotr close behind him. The two young men had managed to secure a plan that would get rid of Creed, at least for a while. It took Remy a short amount of time to come up with a viable solution to their problem.

Piotr held Creed's unconscious body over his shoulder while Remy leapt swiftly into the small motorboat he'd acquired keys to. As Remy steadied the boat and started it up, Piotr carefully put Creed's body down and tied him up with heavy rope. Once he was tied, Piotr and Remy placed Creed into the boat and sent it off into the black, murky water.

Both watched the boat disappear out into the dark water until it was clear out of sight.

"That should keep him for awhile," Colossus said after a few silent minutes. "How long do you think before he wakes?"

Remy balled his hands into angry fists. "Not long enough."

"We are not murders, Remy," Colossus answered with conviction. "Or bad people."

Remy scoffed. "Speak for yourself."

"I would, if I was not aware of how you felt about her."

Remy clenched his jaw tightly. There it was, finally out in the open. After months of keeping quiet, Colossus had finally said aloud what he'd know since the beginning. Remy loved Rogue, the enemy.

It was hard to maintain his façade and deny Piotr's words. Instead of turning to his usual responses, he slumped down on the dock and ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do anymore," he spoke quietly, his voice near a whisper. "Every time I turn around something else catches up."

To Remy's surprise, Piotr sat down beside him and placed a meaty hand on his shoulder. He smiled wryly, staring out at the water. "No offense, Remy, but you are just in love. That is hardly anything to fret over."

Remy gave a half laugh, feeling stupid. Compared to Piotr's problems, Remy's were child's play. Magneto was holding Piotr's loved ones hostage somewhere, giving Piotr no choice but to join the Acolytes, working for his family's safety.

"Is this going to affect your…" Remy paused, deciding on the right choice of word, "Situation?"

Colossus shrugged. "I was not going to leave you on your own."

"Why not?" Remy asked, rather surprised.

"Because that is not what good people do."

The answer was so simple, and coming from Piotr, it sounded profound and absolute. Remy tilted his head towards Colossus, studying the big man's face. There was no question that Remy was indebted to this man, but Piotr would never hold him to that. Remy almost laughed out loud. Piotr wasn't even going to ask or bring it up. In fact, he was willing to bet that it hadn't even crossed Piotr's mind that Remy owed him.

Remy mulled it over for a few minutes and rose to his feet. "Well, Petey, you're not the only one with honour." Remy dusted off his pants. "I can't promise anything, but I'll help you find your family."


	9. Chapter 9

When Rogue opened her eyes, she realized she was in the medic wing of the mansion. She felt groggy, but otherwise fine… except she had no idea how she'd gotten in here.

"Nice to see you up."

Rogue turned in the direction of Logan's voice and smiled faintly. "Hey, Logan," she greeted warmly, her voice a little hoarse. "What happened?"

Logan straightened up in his chair. "We were kinda hoping you could fill us in on that."

Rogue frowned in confusion. "I-"

Logan began to explain, "When we found you, you were already unconscious. You had quite the fight on your hands."

"I did?" Rogue asked puzzled. She wracked her brain for a memory, searching for something that could explain how she'd ended up here.

"You fought Creed," Logan said helpfully. "And Gambit."

Rogue wrinkled her brow. That wasn't right. She could remember fighting Creed, but never Remy. She was absolutely certain that she and Remy never fought. "No," she replied after really searching her mind for answers. "Not Gambit. I never fought with him."

"You must have already been out by the time he showed up." Logan answered slowly, and Rogue could tell he was just as lost as she was about the fight. He was trying to piece the events together in a timeline.

The more Rogue thought about the fight, the more she thought that maybe she had seen Remy. She was sure she had. Creed had known about her and Remy. The awful man had snarled it right to her face. His vile mouth was so close to her neck when he'd revealed the truth that Rogue thought the man would rip her throat out and then…

Rogue strained her memory.

"Easy, Stripes," Logan cautioned as if he could tell that she was trying to force the events of that fight to just jump up forthright in her mind.

She gasped unexpectedly and jerked forward. She had found another memory and Remy had been there.

"What is it?" Logan asked concerned. His reflexes were spot on as his arms were quickly on hers, keeping her steady.

She couldn't tell Logan that Remy had saved her from Creed, could she? That would definitely raise some red markers in Logan's mind. But it was what had happened, right? At least she thought that was what happened. It still didn't explain how she had ended up unconscious.

"H-He saved me," Rogue answered carefully.

"_Gambit?_" Logan replied utterly shocked, before he gave her a sympathetic smile. "I think you might have hit your head harder than we thought."

Rogue didn't press the issue. Since she had ended up with little memory regarding the incident, she wasn't entirely sure that Remy had ever been there. All she had to go on were tiny, nagging fragments.

Perhaps she'd hallucinated him. She could vaguely see herself yelling to him in the back of her mind.

_He knows, Remy! He knows!_

Through the mist of her mind, she thought she glimpsed the two men fighting… Creed slumping over from her touch…

"I absorbed Creed," she said aloud and quite startled.

"You sure did." Logan patted her arm gently. "Took about an hour or so for you to defuzz. Good thing too, you healed up quite nicely. Hank figures you were sliced open pretty badly. Never thought I'd be so thankful about ol' Sabe's healing factor."

Had she passed out from absorbing Creed? Rogue couldn't remember anything after absorbing Creed. She must have passed out, and Remy must've taken off. He'd have to have, she rationed, with her team arriving to find her. Otherwise, Remy would've looked like the guilty party and been attacked.

"How long have I been in here?" she asked suddenly. What if Remy had been injured in the fight too?

Logan shrugged. "Less than a day."

Rogue exhaled the breath she'd been holding. "Oh, good."

"Yeah, those are pretty much my sentiments. You had me pretty worried, Stripes."

"Sorry, Logan." Rogue smiled. "Guess I was just too much for Pyro, and Sabertooth had to come a knocking."

Logan scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I already had a talk with Charles about that."

"You did?"

"No offense, Rogue, but a kid shouldn't have to fight Creed. I should've been there." Logan glanced away guiltily. "I didn't realize he was even there, until Jean alerted me. Couldn't even smell him 'til it was too late. "

"It's alright, Logan," Rogue said quietly. "It's impossible to know where he is all the time."

"I should've smelt him from the jet."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. You still got to me, and that's what matters."

"Just not sooner."

"Logan-"

Logan rose abruptly from his chair. "Anyways, Charles agreed that you should go back to fighting Gambit. A quicker victory means squat to us if a teammate is injured in the process." He moved towards the door. "Take care of yourself, kid."

"Bye, Logan…and thanks, y'know, for watching over me all this time."

Logan looked startled and guilty all at the same time. "I wasn't in here the whole time."

Rogue smirked and sarcastically replied, "Sure you weren't."

Logan smiled sheepishly before turning away. "Later, Stripes."

When Hank decided that Rogue was well enough to leave the medic wing that evening, Rogue wasn't treated any differently by the mansion's inhabitants than she normally was. She suspected that the Professor had given them all strict orders not to pry her for answers she didn't have. Or wanted to tell, for that matter.

Everyone was already aware of her rough day yesterday, and in hindsight, it certainly was rougher than she originally thought. She'd gotten involved in the Acolyte fight in the cafeteria, went to detention, and took on a fight with Creed all in one day. It was overwhelming, and Rogue couldn't shake the feeling that everything had spiraled quickly out of her control.

She wasn't even sure if Remy had the situation under control. She hadn't any chance to talk to him at all. God, he was probably worried sick about her. She hadn't been at school today and he hadn't seen her since he'd fought Creed.

She shuddered. Thinking of Creed sent wicked chills down her spine and invoked a sense of nausea within her. She shut her eyes tightly, willing the man to just go away and leave her mind alone.

There was no way she could get to Remy until tomorrow at school. She felt sick. She wanted to ask if anyone had seen him in class today, but then that would raise suspicions.

She sighed, flopping her head back onto her bed. Her own pillow felt wonderful compared to the hospital one she'd woken up on. It wasn't easy to fall asleep with so much on her mind, but having Kitty in the same room with her made her feel a little more at ease. She just didn't want to be alone at night, and dreaded the dreams that would follow.

Rogue even contemplated waking Kitty up. That was a first. She hated not wanting to close her eyes for fear of her own mind in the dark.

* * *

If Rogue thought that her week would improve by morning, she was wrong. She'd had another bad sleep, plagued by images and actions that were not her own. Blood, violence, hatred—it all floated around viciously in her head. She rubbed her temples in agony, willing the thoughts to just go away.

She insisted on going to school. She needed to see Remy. Despite the worried look the Professor gave her, he allowed her to head off to school with the rest of the Bayville high mutants.

Risty caught her in the hallway, jerking her by the sleeve and out of earshot of passing students. The force Risty had used was startling to Rogue. She'd never known Risty to be so rough, but when she met Risty's eyes, there was nothing but intense concern in them.

"Oh my God, are you alright?" Risty asked, searching Rogue's face intently for any signs of distress. "I was so worried about you since that cafeteria fight… and then you weren't here yesterday…"

Rogue shrugged out from Risty's grasp and gave her a sheepish smile. "Yeah, Rist, I'm fine." She brushed hair out of her eye coolly. "Jeez, you'd think you were a parent the way you're acting."

Rogue wasn't used to Risty acting so… concerned about her. It made her feel just a little uncomfortable since she couldn't exactly tell Risty everything that had happened.

Risty caught a hold of her emotions and abruptly slipped back into her normal self. "Sorry, I thought that maybe that Professor had you severely punished or something."

Rogue couldn't help it, she laughed. "Rist, honestly! It's not like that at all at the institute. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Risty shrugged and flipped her hair. "Any place called an 'Institute' gives me the creeps." She abruptly changed the subject. "So what were you thinking, anyway? Getting involved in that fight?"

Rogue had almost asked, "Which fight?" before catching herself. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Risty was not involved in Rogue's mutant life.

"Come on, you can't honestly have thought that one of us wouldn't have gotten involved. A mutant fight makes all of us mutants look bad," Rogue answered.

"Oh? So it wasn't because it was _him_?"

Rogue could only assume that the 'him' that had warranted such contempt in Risty's voice was Remy.

"We've been over this already. There is nothing going on between Remy and I," Rogue answered, fringing on annoyance. She couldn't understand how Risty had gotten so wrapped up in the idea of her dating Remy. Not that it was so far off the mark, but still.

"I'm just saying, it was a little strange that you'd jump so quick to defend him, especially if you didn't like him… maybe even a little?" Risty pressed.

Rogue rolled her eyes. "God, Rist, you used to have so much more to talk about than boys. And what does it matter anyway? Can't I just help someone because it's the right thing to do? Or does it always have to fall back on me having a crush?"

Risty looked embarrassed and dejected at Rogue's outburst. "Like I said, I'm worried. I don't want him thinking there is something there that isn't."

Rogue made a face of pure disgust. "You think I'm _leading him on_? Jesus, Risty! When did you stop being my friend and turn into my mother?" She couldn't believe Risty had even gone there. It mirrored too closely on Rogue's days with her foster mothers. Both had always been so uptight about any interaction Rogue had with anyone, especially boys, always crying wolf over the littlest things.

"Rogue-"

"Save it, Risty," Rogue answered hotly as she brushed past her and continued on down the hall.

"Just stay away from him!" Risty called after her, in a strange, pleading voice.

It was the tone that had caught her. Rogue tried to ignore Risty's final words, but that damn tone of voice was so foreign to the Risty she knew. There was a certain ring of wisdom and age in that voice, like Risty knew much more than she was letting on.

Rogue shook her head softly. She was reading way too much into this. Risty was Risty. All that had happened was an argument. It didn't mean Risty was hiding anything or wasn't all she appeared to be. Rogue was just acting paranoid because of Creed figuring her and Remy out.

Rogue scurried off to class, ashamed that because of one bad night, she was suddenly suspicious of everyone. God, who else needed to imply that they knew about her and Remy, before enough was enough? This relationship was taking its toll on her, and today it seemed more prominent than usual.

Rogue slid into her desk just before Remy entered the classroom. He briefly walked past her desk to get to his. His face remained impassive, but when she returned her eyes to her desk, he had left a carefully folded slip of paper on top of her notebook.

She discreetly opened up his note and read it quickly, tucking it into her pocket as soon as she was done. It would be foolish to turn around and make eye contact with him, but after reading his sentiments, she wanted nothing more than let him know she was touched. Making sure no one was looking, she cast a cautious glance in his direction.

She was quite surprised to find that he was already watching her intently, and had probably been staring at her back the whole time she'd been reading his note. She gave him a fleeting, small smile, which he met with his own before she turned back around. At least something was going her way today.

By the time their second period rolled around, neither could keep their hands off of the other. Remy was far more affectionate than he normally was, and Rogue quickly realized that it was because he'd been worried about her, and about _them_.

Remy hadn't been able to stop apologizing for everything that had happened. He couldn't even bring himself to admit that he'd been the one to knock her out. She hadn't brought it up or asked, so he remained silent on the details. In fact, Rogue didn't really address the fight between Creed and herself at all, or Remy's intervention.

Remy wanted nothing more than to snuggle up to her, like a needy little kid, and prod her with apologies until everything was alright. It was the only way he knew how to make up for what had happened.

Rogue, on the other hand, felt that there was really no need for him to keep dwelling on the past and blaming himself for things he'd not had much control over. She knew the risks involved in dating him when they had started all this to begin with.

Taking his face delicately between her gloved hands, she tipped his face to hers so she was looking him straight in the eye. "It's over and done with, Honey. Water under the bridge." What was it with men constantly apologizing for failing her? First Logan and now Remy.

Remy grimaced slightly. He had to tell her that he was the one who'd attacked her while she was Creed. She hadn't even addressed any of her horrible transformation, or even asked what had happened to Creed afterwards.

"Rogue?" He hesitated. "About that fight with Creed-"

She pressed a finger to his lips, promptly cutting him off, "I'd have been dead if you hadn't intervened." Rogue continued on, misinterpreting why he was fretting so much over the fight. "I understand why you had to leave me, really, I do. Logan probably would've killed you had you stuck around."

"Rogue, I-"

"Hush, Remy," she whispered. "It's nothing more than being on opposite sides. No more thinking about it, okay?"

Remy gave a weighted sigh, filled with regret. "Okay, cherie. We're done talkin' about it."

But Remy wasn't done thinking about it. There were many things about the fight with Creed that had him worried. And not all of his worries involved his own actions.

In the time he'd spent with Rogue, he had never seen her completely take on another personality. She had always maintained a piece of herself when she used her mutation. When she had absorbed Creed, she had become Creed entirely. There had been no trace of her anywhere behind those cold, yellow eyes.

It bothered Remy that Rogue didn't want to talk about it. To him, it should have been something that she should want to address. Instead, she was pretending that nothing had happened at all, like she didn't remember.

"Chere," he broached carefully. "Do you want to talk about absorbing Creed at all?"

She stiffened. "No."

"It's just that-"

"I said 'no', Remy!" She sighed in exasperation. "I- I don't want to think about that man at all, okay? It's bad enough I have to deal with his mind while I sleep, I don't need it preoccupying my brain while I'm awake."

"Okay." Remy gave in. "I was just worried about you, is all."

She softened. "I know. It's just a touchy subject. You don't know what it's like to know almost everything about someone from just a single touch. Things you don't even want to know or should know." She shuddered. "Pushing it down and pretending it didn't happen works best."

Remy instinctively pulled her into a tighter hug. "You know I'll listen, should you ever want to talk about it."

She smiled. "I'm fine, Remy. Really, I am, but thank you."

Remy had to believe that she was telling him the truth. She seemed fine on the outside. He relaxed a little, trying to put all his concerns to rest. Things would be so much easier if they were on the same side.

"You won't have to worry about him again,' Remy said fiercely, back in his protective boyfriend mode. At least he'd been able to help her with that.

Rogue shot him a concerned glance and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, I took care of it," Remy answered defensively.

Rogue pulled from his arms and looked him straight in the eye. "Remy…" She hesitated with fear. "What did you do?"

"Don't worry about it, cherie. I've got it covered." He grasped both her hands in between his. "Trust me, everything is going to work out for the best."

"Remy-"

"Please, cherie," he pleaded. "I've got something in the works right now. Something big-"

"I think Risty is getting suspicious," Rogue confessed.

Remy stopped. "What? Your human friend?"

"Yes!" Rogue cried in exasperation. "How long before someone else figures us out? First Colossus, then Creed, and now maybe even Risty! I can't keep this up, Remy!"

Remy's body tensed. "So what exactly are you trying to say, Chere?"

She buried her face in her hands. "I don't know, Remy! I don't know!"

"Well are we breaking up or aren't we?" Remy asked stiffly.

She snapped her head up. "I don't want to break up!" She sighed. "But we can't keep doing this."

Remy closed his eyes. Rogue wasn't sure whether it was in relief or exasperation.

"What do you want from me?" he asked quietly.

"I want you to quit the Acolytes."

He sighed and looked upwards, as though he was speaking silently to a higher power. He turned to Rogue with a bitter smile. "I'm sorry, cherie, but I can't right now."

"What?" she exclaimed.

"I can't leave right now. I have… obligations to fulfill."

Rogue looked aghast. "You can't honestly believe all that dreck Magneto feeds you guys, can you?" Her eyebrows creased with worry. "Please, Remy, do this for us."

"Rogue, cherie, you can't be angry with me on this one. You just have to trust that there are bigger things in play right now, and I made a promise. I can't go back on my word. I need you to keep this up just a little while longer."

"You aren't ever planning on leaving the Acolytes, are you?" Rogue asked in barely a whisper.

Remy glanced away. "Were you ever planning on leaving Xavier's?"

She cast her eyes down. "I don't know, but eventually we're going to have to choose."

"I chose you, cherie," he whispered softly. "You just have to trust me, right now."

Rogue met his eyes painfully. "I'm not sure I can."

Remy nodded sadly. "You do what you have to do."

Rogue got up from the couch and quietly picked up her bag. "We're not over, Remy, but I can't keep turning a blind eye to what you do as an Acolyte."

Remy only nodded again as Rogue left him alone in the storage room with his thoughts. He was confused and unsure. Things had caught up to them quickly and Remy felt as though he was just barely ahead of the bullets.

He'd always known, deep down, that it would come to this. This choosing of sides, and frankly, he'd been ready for it up until two days ago. Had Rogue asked him to quit for her any time before that, he would have been able to. But now, Remy had agreed to help find Piotr's family and he had no idea as to how he was going to do that.

Remy didn't mind working for Magneto. As long as he did his job, it was a fairly easy gig. He was paid well, had a place to stay, and often agreed with Magneto's views on the world. But lately, things had changed for Remy. He supposed his perspective and opinion would shift on a few things, now that he and Rogue had been together for almost four months.

Through Rogue, Remy could actually see and understand what it was Xavier was trying to accomplish. And it wasn't all that different from what Magneto wanted. Both wanted mutants to be accepted by society and both wanted tolerance, but Magneto believed in the superiority of mutants. These days, Remy didn't see much superiority. Mutants were just as petty or as forgiving as humans were.

It was the people like Principal Kelly that Remy wasn't so sure Xavier and his team could handle. It was the people that were so twisted with hatred that Remy believed Magneto could deal with best. Fighting force with force.

As much as Remy loved Rogue, he knew his work with the Acolytes was not done, if not for Piotr, than for himself. He often wondered what things would have been like if Mystique had successfully recruited Rogue to Magneto's side like she was supposed to, before she broke off from Magneto's side.

He would have been able to love Rogue freely and openly, instead of sneaking her in dark corners or when no one else was looking.

He had mixed emotions about where his future was heading. When he did finally quit the Acolytes, would he be welcome to join Rogue, or was that a taboo thing to do? He wondered if Rogue would ever leave. At this point, he doubted it. He hated to admit it, but his girlfriend needed Xavier's institute. She needed all the help she could get with her mutation and Remy often wondered just how much he had hindered her development.

It was very hard for him to forget the times she tossed and turned in her sleep, and he knew he would never forget two day ago, when she had turned completely into Creed.

Remy had left the storage room after few minutes alone, thinking things over. He and Rogue had always staggered their exits to avoid being caught together anyway. This time, however, when Remy exited the room, he was accosted by an unknown assailant and slammed up against the concrete wall.

Facing his assailant, Remy recognized the girl that had him pinned to the wall. It was Rogue's human friend, Risty. Her strength and ease in keeping Remy pinned to the wall had him suspecting that Risty wasn't exactly who she appeared to be.

"And to what do I owe this pleasure?" Remy asked, slightly annoyed. It wasn't everyday he was attacked by strange women, and he really did not need this on his plate right now on top of everything else.

Risty's cold, grey eyes bore into his viciously. "I want you to leave Rogue alone."

Wow. Of course he'd seen that one coming. Why else would Risty be here, all angry and up in his face? Although, he was rather intrigued as to how this girl had found out about them. No doubt, she'd been keeping and eye on Rogue. His girlfriend had mentioned that Risty was suspicious, although he didn't think Rogue had thought Risty was this suspicious.

There was no sense in denying that he had anything going on with Rogue. It would only infuriate Risty further. It was obvious she'd been following Rogue and put two and two together.

"I doubt that will be happening," Remy answered plainly while trying to discern who Risty really was. "Seems Rogue hangs out with a_ lot_ of mutants. What's one more?"

Risty's face curled up into a fierce rage. "She doesn't need you, _Gambit_."

Remy raised his eyebrows. "Does Rogue know you're not human?" Remy asked. No one outside of the mutant circle would know his mutant name. It confirmed his suspicions that Risty was a mutant of some sort.

"I do what's best for her." Something fierce flickered in Risty's eyes.

Remy caught the faint switch as Risty's grey irises shifted to a bright yellow for the briefest of moments. Remy smiled; the tight-lipped, sly kind of smile that he saved for the special occasions. Special occasions like figuring out something important and to his advantage.

"Right." Remy continued to smile. "Kinda like a parent."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Something like that."

Remy's smile deepened to the point that it had now become vicious. "That's very noble of you, but hardly believable… Mystique."

Her eyes widened in shock before narrowing into tight, angry, little slits. "How did you know?" she hissed dangerously.

Remy shrugged. "I have a trained eye. You of all people should know what Magneto looks for when he recruits."

"She's not going to be one of Magneto's!" Mystique screeched.

Remy didn't think Mystique could have shoved him up against the wall any more than she already had. He was wrong. He actually winced.

"You tell Magneto that she is _mine_. _Mine!_ You understand?"

Remy had had enough of this. Since Risty was actually Mystique, Remy had no qualms about being a little rough. He shoved back violently and Mystique stumbled backwards, loosening her grip on him. It was all Remy needed to get free.

"Yeah, yeah," Remy answered tersely as he smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes. "I'll tell him, along with telling Rogue who you really are."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me." Remy glared angrily. "I don't exactly respond well to threats." Remy cocked his head slightly, studying Mystique. "What's your deal with Rogue anyway?" He already knew Mystique's history and relationship with Rogue. He'd overheard Magneto once. Whether it was true or not was undetermined.

"None of your business!"

Remy rolled his eyes. "Fine, but you sure as hell aren't making a winning case for yourself."

At least Remy had learned one thing, other than Mystique's identity. He'd learned that Mystique thought Remy was trying to recruit Rogue, not romance her. As far as he could tell, his real relationship with Rogue was still undiscovered.

"She wouldn't believe you if you told her anyway!" Mystique snapped as Remy started to turn his back on her.

Rolling his eyes again, he turned back around. "You're probably right. After all, you've known her much longer."

He half expected Mystique to lunge at him in a rage. Instead, she only curled her lip up and snarled, "I'm warning you to stay away."

Remy waved her off and continued to walk down the hall. He so did not need this today. As if he and Rogue didn't have enough problems. Now he had her supposed mother thrown into the mix. The last thing Rogue needed was to discover all of that mess.

As far as Remy could tell, Rogue had no idea that Mystique was her supposed foster mother. Remy really didn't want to be the one to spill _that_ news, especially with the added bonus of telling her that her dear friend Risty didn't really exist.

Remy groaned in frustration. It was bad enough that he had to keep Rogue in the dark about a lot of his actions, now he had to keep up Mystique's masquerade as well. Or else God only knew what sort of retaliation that damn woman would come up with.

He debated whether or not to tell Rogue about Risty. He wouldn't have to tell her everything about Mystique. He could just let Rogue know that Risty _was_ Mystique and leave it at that. Except, Remy really didn't want to deal with this today, and he really didn't want to tell Rogue today.

He checked the clock in the hallway. He was already late for his third period class and… who the hell _cared?_ Remy slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked straight out the school doors. He was taking the rest of the day off.


	10. Chapter 10

When Remy didn't show up to Chemistry, Rogue was worried. She hadn't meant to freak out on him and be such a downer. She certainly didn't think that their conversation would have caused him to skip the rest of the day.

She tried to look like she wasn't concerned, because Risty kept looking back at her. Rogue didn't want Risty to read anymore into it than she already had. She gave Risty a deliberately cold look. It wasn't worth it, but it felt good to be angry with someone. She was so frustrated with everyone. Mad at the world.

She wished she had thought of skipping the rest of the day, like Remy had. A splitting headache had hit her just after lunch and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed.

Her week was not improving at all, and she had no idea how to fix it. She also had no idea what Remy was up to, or why it was so hard for him to leave the Acolytes.

Not once in their relationship had she ever suggested that he quit, at least not until today. Today, she had hit that point. The point where she was positive she couldn't carry on with all lies anymore—and Remy had told her he wouldn't quit the Acolytes. He gave her no real explanation and it had Rogue wondering what Remy really thought about the world, about mutants, about humans, about everything.

She loved Remy more than she'd ever loved anyone, but that didn't mean that she should. He had her questioning who he really was and what he believed in. These were all topics they had never discussed, well, she had to some degree, but he didn't. In fact, Remy kept himself very private. Even when she absorbed him, she could never seem to discover anything new about him.

She knew he loved her, but was that enough to keep up all the lies? Rogue tapped her pencil against the blank sheet of notepaper on her desk, willing an answer to appear.

Yes.

Love in any form was better than no love at all. It didn't mean that she agreed with whatever it was Remy was up to, but it meant that she wasn't going to do anything about it. She was still angry with him for being what he was, but that wasn't really his fault. She couldn't will him to change just to suit her needs.

How would she have reacted if Remy had asked her to leave the Institute? She grimaced. She wouldn't have reacted well at all. She couldn't believe how selfish she became when push came to shove. Things wouldn't be so bad if she knew Remy wasn't causing trouble.

What was so important within the walls of the Acolyte base that Remy couldn't leave?

"Ouch!" She jumped back, startled, shaking her hands when a hot burning sensation covered her fingertips. Her fingertips had suddenly burst into flames. At first, she thought she'd messed up her experiment with the Bunsen burner, until she realized the flame didn't hurt anymore. She had somehow managed to call up Pyro's mutation by accident.

Students were turning around to stare at her, and thankfully, Scott was on top of things. He was up from his desk in no time and throwing his sweater over her hands to douse out the flames.

"Mr. Stevenson?" Scott called. "Anna's had an accident with her Bunsen burner."

The teacher turned from the blackboard with a look that implied Rogue was useless without her lab partner. "What happened?"

"I, uh, caught my gloves on fire," Rogue answered meekly.

"Did you burn yourself?"

"No, sir, just my gloves."

"Perhaps you shouldn't be wearing fashion accessories while doing experiments, hmmm?" Mr. Stevenson gave her a petulant stare.

"But, my skin condition—"

"Yes, I know, Anna!" her teacher replied in exasperation, most likely sick of hearing about it. "How about you just do a make-up lab with Mr. LeBeau tomorrow after school?"

"I hardly think it's fair for her to stay after class to do her experiment," Jean interrupted in Rogue's defense. "She's not the one who skipped class."

"Yes, but she's the one who seems to need her lab partner," the teacher muttered, before addressing Rogue. "I'll call it extra credit, Miss. Adler. And with your marks so far in this class, you'd be wise to take it."

"Yes, sir," Rogue mumbled inaudibly. This day was just getting better and better. Scott gave her an encouraging smile before going back to his seat with Jean.

Rogue heaved a sigh and pulled the charred gloves from her hands. She didn't have an extra pair with her. It wasn't like she had planned on wrecking this pair to begin with. Come to think of it, this had been a first. She'd just have to go the rest of the day being extremely careful around people.

It wasn't until the end of the day when the bell rang, dismissing Rogue from her last class that she discovered what was so important to keep Remy with the Acolytes.

It had been entirely by mistake, and it never should have happened, but it did.

She'd been careful to avoid the busy hallways and had lingered by her locker until the large crowds of students died down. The halls were virtually empty, perfectly clear for her when she moved quickly to the exit. At least they'd been empty up until she rounded the hallway corridor and smacked right into Piotr Rasputin. Her bare hand came in contact with his bare arm and the absorption was instantaneous.

When she realized what was happening, she jerked her hand back so fiercely that she stumbled backwards and fell. She didn't feel a thing when her butt hit the ground. The collective gasps in the near-empty hallway told her right away that something was wrong. She met Piotr's eyes and he looked dizzy, but deeply sorry.

"Sor—" he had started to say, before Duncan threw an empty pop can at her and called her a "mutant freak." Of course Piotr wouldn't have been by himself, naturally, he'd be with Duncan and the rest of the jocks. Duncan grabbed Piotr's arm and wheeled him off in the opposite direction, turning their backs on Rogue, laughing.

Rogue didn't hear any of it. She didn't see that her skin had changed to a shiny, metal armor, covering her body. Nothing outside of her mind mattered, because right now, she was seeing Piotr Rasputin for who he really was and it made her chest ache.

Piotr did not come from a very rich family, but he came from a good one. He had a loving mother and father, an older brother he looked up to—literally, the guy was a cosmonaut, and he had a younger sister whom he adored.

Piotr's life had lacked very little. Other than tolerance towards his mutant status, his wants were very few and far between. He was a simple man, but a good man. He tried his best, respected the elderly, and helped to teach those who were younger than him.

Remy had always told Rogue that Piotr was a good guy. She had just never realized to what degree. She had always thought that it was just something Remy had said in passing, like 'he was a good guy in terms of loyalty or reliability'. She had no idea that Remy had literally meant that Piotr _was_ one of the _good guys_.

Poor Piotr was not working for Magneto because he wanted to. He was working for Magneto because he had no other choice. Magneto had taken Piotr's family and threatened him into joining the Acolytes, needing his strength.

Rogue felt Piotr's devastation and heartache. All this time he was being blackmailed by Magneto and her team had had no idea. They had all thought he was just as bad as say, Creed or Pyro. It wasn't true. It wasn't true at all! Piotr belonged at Xavier's Institute, and instead he was forced to work for Magneto to ensure his family safety.

It made Rogue sick. She could feel Piotr's rage and sorrow as if it were her own. He had tried so hard to discover where Magneto was keeping his family so that he could free them, but he couldn't do it on his own. He needed help. If Magneto ever found out that Piotr had been asking for help, his family would be dead. Piotr had never approached anyone, carrying the burden himself, trying desperately to figure out a plan to rescue his family.

Then something recent shifted the tide. Creed had happened to Remy, and Colossus could not sit by and watch. Remy needed his help whether he asked for it or not, and Piotr gave it, helping Remy get rid of Creed.

Rogue gasped out loud, slowly pulling herself from the memories of Piotr Rasputin.

That was what was so important.

After Piotr had helped Remy dispose of Creed, Remy had made an alliance with Piotr, promising the big man that he'd help free Piotr's family if he could.

Remy hadn't told her because he knew what she'd do right away. She'd tell the Professor immediately… and that would be bad for Piotr. Rogue saw all too clearly the problem in that. She couldn't tell Piotr's plight to anyone, just like Remy, otherwise Piotr's family's safety was at stake. No, this needed to be an undercover job.

Rogue got up from the floor, willing her body to return to its original form. She needed to talk to Remy right away. Piotr and Remy may not have been sure how to solve Piotr's problem, but Rogue did.

It was a simple solution.

She'd absorb Magneto directly to find out where he was holding Piotr's family. As far as she was concerned, enough time had already been wasted, these people had suffered enough. It was time to cut straight to the chase.

At least Rogue didn't have to worry about showing up at the warehouse and being detected by Sabertooth. As far as anyone knew, he was still floating around aimlessly at sea.

She had to give Remy credit, he had thought of everything from draining the gas tank, to wrecking the navigational devices on the boat he and Piotr had dumped Creed in. Plus, with Creed being surrounded by water, his nose would be out of joint and unable to pick up any scents other than the sea—at least until he got close to any body of land.

Rogue knew she had to stop off at the mansion first, it was normal protocol and helped Xavier makes sure all his young charges were accounted for. With Rogue being under close watch because of her recent injuries, it was definitely best that she checked in at the mansion first before she went looking for Remy.

She met Logan in the garage, fixing yet another vehicle when she arrived at home.

"What happened to your gloves?" he asked, pointing the wrench he held towards her bare hands.

Rogue silently cursed. Logan seemed to notice _everything_ these days. "Chemistry accident," she lied.

Logan raised his eyebrows. "That's not how Scott described it."

"Damn it!" she muttered to herself. She should have known Scott would have said something already. She turned her eyes fiercely to Logan. "If you already knew what happened, why are you asking?"

"Why don't you want to talk about it?" Logan countered instead.

"Because it's not a big deal, Logan! So I lost a little control, Evan does it all the time and it's never an issue!"

Logan weighed Rogue's words carefully before he answered, "Evan's a lot younger and doesn't have the same level of concentration as you."

"So what? I can't have an off day?"

"Sure you can." Logan shrugged. "Everyone does, but sometimes it helps to talk about it. I can tell just by looking at you that you're stressed out. We're here to help, Rogue."

Rogue shifted her weight from side to side, feeling foolish at her outburst. She was losing her temper over the littlest things these days, mostly for no reason at all. "I had a fight with Risty today," she admitted, at least that was a safer topic and it would appease Logan.

"About?"

Rogue sighed. "About a boy."

"Oh!" Logan answered, startled. Obviously, she had not given him the kind of answer he was expecting. He fumbled with the wrench in his hand. "Well, I'm sure you two will work it out."

"She said some mean things. Y'know, stuff that maybe sounded worse than she meant. I think I might've overreacted."

Logan cleared his throat uncomfortably, absently scratching the back of his neck. "I don't pretend to understand teenage girls, Rogue, but I'm sure she probably said a lot of things she didn't mean. No use losing a friendship over a, um… a boy."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"And aren't you a little young for boys, anyway?"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "I'm seventeen, Logan." Then she added for good measure, "And I didn't say it was me who liked the boy." She discovered all too quickly that even her safest topic of conversation had quickly turned into a dangerous one. The last thing she needed was Logan knowing she liked a boy… a boy that just happened to be an Acolyte.

Although… maybe Logan would understand. Surely, he had loved someone that crossed lines once upon a time. She decided to try broaching the subject carefully, just to test the waters.

"But what if I did? Like the boy, I mean?" she asked as nonchalantly as she could.

Besides the immediate deer-in-the-headlights look he gave her, Logan calmly answered, "Then I'd say you're in a bit of a dilemma if Risty likes him too."

"Right," Rogue answered with a tightlipped smile. It was clear that by the way she'd started this conversation, Logan had already made some conclusions, thinking that Rogue and Risty were fighting over a boy they both liked.

Logan coughed. "Does the, uh…. boy like you back? Or does he like Risty?"

"Never mind, Logan. I don't like the boy," Rogue answered with her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. This had clearly been a bad idea. "Just forget about it."

"You are allowed to like people, Rogue. It's part of being human. And whether he likes you or doesn't, or if you and Risty don't make up, that's all part of growing up, too." Logan answered sagely. "I don't think it's a bad thing to like someone."

"Thanks, Logan." It was more or less the answer she was hoping for, even if it was a bit out of context. But Rogue didn't have the nerve to take the conversation further and admit that they were actually talking about Gambit, and that Risty did not like him at all.

Logan seemed pleased with himself, probably patting himself on the back that he'd been helpful with such an awkward and unexpected conversation regarding teenage love affairs.

"I think I might go out," Rogue said, walking towards her bike. "You'll tell the Professor I checked in, right?"

"Sure." Logan shrugged. "I imagine there are some things you'd like to clear up with Risty, but you'd better get some gloves on first."

* * *

Remy lay on his bed, rolling things over in his mind. He'd spent the entire afternoon trying to come up with answers and solutions to every problem he had. Viable solutions were hard to come by, considering his most pressing issue was his offering to help Piotr.

Remy didn't know where to begin with that. He and Piotr had spent their trek back from the docks discussing the details regarding Piotr's situation. Wherever Magneto was hiding Piotr's family, Magneto was keeping it pretty tightlipped. And with good reason, if Piotr discovered the location, Magneto would lose his hold on the young man.

It had Remy thinking, not about how to solve Piotr's problem, but as to how blind Remy had been all this time. How could he just blatantly ignore what had been going with Piotr up until now? He supposed ignorance was bliss, but he had to admit he'd been pretty selfish, thinking only of himself for so long. Perhaps that was something else Rogue had managed to change in him.

When he'd first joined the Acolytes, it had been for the money. Magneto had made him a very lucrative offer. One that beat the hell out of staying in the muddy swamps surrounding his hometown. It had been easy to pack up and leave, accepting Magneto's offer.

Remy had fancied himself a _rebellious badass_ who did what he wanted and answered to no one. Magneto had catered to that image, and Remy was allowed to conduct himself as appallingly as he wanted. He had always worked under the assumption that the less he knew about what was going within the folds of the Acolytes, the better.

Now he thought quite differently. In some respects, Remy still admired Magneto, but the man's treatment of Piotr had left a huge black mark in Remy's overall opinion. Not only of Magneto, but of himself. It had gotten Remy thinking about what kind of person he really was.

It was something he'd touched on a few days earlier when Rogue had finally witnessed him 'working' in detention. He'd felt unpleasant and somehow dirty after it, like he shouldn't have been doing his assigned job. He'd assumed that after he was paid for the job, that he'd be fine. He wasn't. It was then that he started toying with the idea of leaving the Acolytes.

He had to give Rogue credit. They had lasted in this bizarre, undercover relationship for months and not once had she ever asked him to leave the Acolytes for her. Not once had she even attempted to try to change who he was.

It wasn't a decision she had come to lightly either when she'd finally asked him to quit working for Magneto, and Remy knew that. Rogue was starting to feel the heat and the pressure of maintaining a secret love affair. Remy was too, and quitting his job was becoming a better solution by the hour.

But that was the problem with starting to care about one person, eventually that caring would spread. Remy had started giving a damn about not only himself and Rogue, but Piotr as well. Even that was spreading, and he now cared about other mutants and humans as well. Suddenly things weren't as black and white as they used to be. Hell, he couldn't even engage in a real fight with any of Xavier's team anymore. Hadn't he gone soft on Jean Grey the other day, avoiding doing any real damage?

It was obvious to him that his career as a villain was coming to a fast end. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. Was being dangerous and badass really such a cool persona to have?

The tapping on his windowpane had him sitting up straight. His heart thumped madly. Rogue was here? He hadn't been expecting that, but then whenever they had a serious talk and she would walk out on him, she'd always show up unexpected. It was how she worked things out, and Remy should have been familiar with her routine by now. She often had to walk away, think things through, and then come back.

He wasn't ready for her. He opened his window anyway and she crawled in, but he wasn't ready to see her at all. He was keeping so much from her these days that he had no idea how she would react or how he was supposed to act…

"You are absolutely wonderful!" she gushed, throwing her arms around him affectionately.

Okay… That was not what he had expected at all from her, especially considering their last conversation.

"Uh…that's good to know," he answered, just a little confused.

"I accidentally absorbed Piotr today."

Remy jerked from her grasp. "You what?"

"I accidentally burned my gloves in Chemistry—by the way, we have a make up lab tomorrow after school—"

"Rogue!" he interrupted sharply when she started on another tangent.

"Anyway, I sorta smacked into Piotr in the hall without my gloves and absorbed him—"

"Is he alright?"

"Yeah, he's fine, but you should have told me." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I can help, Remy."

"What exactly do you know?" Remy asked cautiously, wondering just how much Rogue had absorbed. "And answer quietly."

"I know you and Piotr got rid of Creed, and I know you agreed to help Piotr find his family," she whispered, barely making a sound. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Chere, this is serious business. You have to promise me you won't say a word of it to anyone."

"I won't, but I can help, Remy. I can absorb Magneto."

Remy hesitated. He wasn't so sure that was such a great idea. The Creed incident was still fresh in his mind. What if Rogue turned into Magneto next?

"Are you sure about that, cherie? I mean, do you think that's a good idea?"

"Sure, it's the fastest way to finding out."

"But you'd have him in your head, and there might be a lot of things you learn that you might not want to." Remy paused as his mind quickly thought up more excuses. "Not to mention, you wouldn't even be able to get near Magneto. You are pretty recognizable, and I refuse to put you in harm's way."

Rogue bit her lip, contemplating his words. "I'd need to be able to change my appearance…a disguise of some sort, to get close enough."

Remy clenched his jaw shut tightly. In one single sentence, he had just fallen deeper into a dilemma. Rogue had come up with a good plan without realizing it in its entirety. The only problem consisted of Rogue having to absorb not just one mutant, but two. In turn, she would discover the truth about Risty _and_ Mystique.

Remy could see the plan working perfectly, aside from the emotional damage Rogue might suffer. If Rogue absorbed Mystique's shapeshifting abilities, changed her appearance to that of an Acolyte, she could get close enough to absorb Magneto and discover the location of Piotr's family. All while knocking Magneto out and buying them some time.

It was perfect, Remy wouldn't have ever thought up that kind of a plan, but the cost was rather high. To follow through with the plan, he'd have to tell Rogue everything about Mystique, and he'd have to let her absorb two powerful mutants at the risk of Rogue losing control.

At the same time, they would be saving Piotr's family and freeing him of Magneto's hold, which in turn, would allow Remy to quit the Acolytes because he would no longer be obligated to stay on Piotr's behalf. Once he was no longer an Acolyte, he'd be free to openly date Rogue.

This plan would solve every problem they had. All he had to do was let Rogue go through with it.

So why was he hesitating?


	11. Chapter 11

Remy was tense and extremely conflicted as Rogue wound her arms around him, sliding her body behind his. She tugged him backwards to the bed.

"You know it's a good idea," she breathed in his ear with the most convincing tone. "I know it's a little dangerous, but if we do this, we can solve a lot of our problems in one shot."

Remy tilted his head back, leaning into her as she slowly began massaging his shoulders. Rogue didn't even know the half of it. Remy wasn't stupid, he knew that she knew he was concerned. It was why she was behind him, trying to get him to relax and agree with her. But she didn't know why he was so uptight and apprehensive.

"It's risky, cherie," he answered. "There's a lot more to this than there seems."

"You're thinking too much," she replied with her hands expertly rubbing along his back. "You're so tense for no real reason. You know we can do this. I've taken risks before."

Remy tried to turn around to face her. He absolutely had to tell her about Mystique. "Chere—"

She increased the pressure, causing Remy to moan out loud and promptly drop his current course of conversation. When Rogue wanted to, she was an expert at dissuading Remy from his thoughts. It was hard for him to keep on track while she was busy calling his body out to play. It was a ploy he couldn't resist; no matter how urgent it was that he explain the situation fully.

Remy closed his eyes and leaned further back into her as she slid her hands under his T-shirt, pulling it up and over his head. Rogue's hands kneaded into his shoulders as she massaged his muscles, every so often running a soft trail with her hands up and down his back.

She gradually slipped one hand around to his front, searching out his increasingly aroused member. Following the same speed and pressure as her hand on his back, she began to work him off, gripping him with her other hand.

Remy was delirious in an instant. She'd never done _that _before. "Mon Dieu," he moaned in bliss. "Where on earth did you learn that?"

She stopped abruptly.

When she still hadn't moved, Remy glanced back at her with concern. "Chere?"

She suddenly pulled away from him with a worried expression on her face. "I-I don't know," she answered bewildered. Panic quickly swept over her face. "Oh God! I don't know! Is this me or is this someone else?"

"Calm down, Chere," Remy answered gently. He twisted his torso to face her. "It's alright."

"It's not alright!" she cried on the verge of hysterics. "I have no idea where that came from, but my body remembers it!"

"Just calm down a minute here, Rogue." Remy tried again to get her to settle down so they could figure this out.

"I can't!" she cried, when all of a sudden, the lamp by his bed went flying across the room without either touching it.

Both Rogue and Remy stared as the lamp smashed against the opposite wall and broke into pieces.

"Was that me?" Rogue asked him in shock before shoving him away from her angrily. "Where am I? Where's Scott?"

"Chere—" Remy began warily as Rogue's bottle green eyes turned to Jean Grey's blue. "You're Rogue, you aren't Jean. You are Rogue."

"Of course I'm Rogue," she answered vapidly, her eyes flashing back to their normal colour, only an outraged version of it. "Were you just thinking of _Jean_ right now?"

"No!" Remy answered baffled. "Rogue, you just flung a lamp across the room with your mind. Don't you remember?"

"I… no," she answered looking helplessly at the shattered lamp in a daze. "When did this happen?"

"Just now!" Remy exclaimed, no longer able to hide the worry in his voice. "You're telling me that you don't remember any of it?"

"No… I—Ow!" Her hands immediately went to her temples, clutching her head as she sucked in a sharp breath. "Remy? Do you have any painkillers? I've suddenly got an awful headache."

He silently handed her the bottle he kept on his nightstand and she opened the container with shaky hands. Remy was far beyond worried now. Rogue's behaviour was seriously freaking him out.

"I've never blacked out before," she whispered before taking the pills.

Remy fidgeted with his hands and bit his lip. "Yes, you have."

Her eyes were wide and confused. "What do you mean?"

Remy closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering, "This isn't the first time I've seen this happen. Last time, you held the personality a lot longer."

"Creed," she whispered with fear.

Remy nodded. "I-I had no choice but to knock you out, Chere. You were him and you were gonna kill me."

She gasped, unexpectedly.

"I'm sorry!" Remy answered in a panic. "I didn't want to do it! I really had no choice!"

She reached out and grabbed his hand tightly. "It's not that, Honey," she answered softly. "It's that I remember now, right before it happened. I told you to run. I… I knew he was coming, I just didn't know he was coming from me."

She curled up against Remy, minding his bare chest and keeping her skin from his.

Remy swallowed hard. "Rogue? I don't think we should go through with this plan of yours."

She shot her body up in alarm. "No! We have to! It's the only way, don't you see!"

"Chere, if your powers are off…"

"I'll be fine, Remy. I just need a good sleep, that's all," she said in a hardly convincing tone. "I haven't slept well in days, you know that."

"Yeah, I know," Remy answered reluctantly. He was also pretty sure he knew why she wasn't sleeping properly. It was because of him. Their relationship was taking its toll on her. She was stressed out. She wasn't sleeping because she was too busy worrying about how to keep all their fragile lies woven together without a single strand breaking.

She needed to start her proper sessions back up with Xavier. That much was crystal clear to Remy. She wouldn't though, even if Remy begged. Not until they had followed through with her plan to absorb Magneto and save Piotr's family. She was terrified of being found out. Truth be told, Remy was too. They had been sneaking around and lying for so long now, that Remy wasn't sure he would even know how to act once they finally came out in the open and revealed that they were in love. He did know that it couldn't possibly be as bad as Rogue losing grasp of her control. Control she had very little of to begin with.

Rogue yawned wearily. "I really just need to lie down for a minute. Just until the painkillers kick in."

"Of course, cherie," he replied, pulling back his bed sheets for her.

She crawled into his bed, pulling the blankets up around her like a cocoon. "I can do this, Remy. Everything is under control."

Remy didn't answer her. He simply lay down beside her and closed his eyes. He knew he wouldn't sleep, not while his main concern was her stability. Rogue, however, fell asleep almost instantly. Again, with a sleep plagued by someone else's life. This time she was mumbling sleep-induced words in hurried German.

He hadn't gotten the chance to tell her who Risty really was. He knew he'd have to soon. It was only a matter of time before Mystique did something drastic. Right now, he'd let Rogue sleep. God knew she needed it, and maybe she was right. Maybe she did just need a little more sleep and she'd be fine.

In her sleep, Rogue snuggled her body closer to Remy's and he carefully turned towards her, wrapping her in his arms. At least with her here for a while, Remy could watch her closely and monitor her behaviours. It was important that he keep track of anything she did that was out of character to him. That way, when the time came for her to resume her sessions with Professor Xavier, her past episodes would be documented.

He knew things were getting out of hand and that neither he nor Rogue could keep things together for long. Sadly, Rogue's plan really was their best option. Once they had helped Piotr…

Remy sighed. Would that really be it? Would saving innocent lives really be proof enough that he belonged with Rogue? He had a short lifetime to atone for. He'd never been that good of a guy. He'd never wanted to be. He had preyed on the weak for years, starting early in his childhood.

Professor Xavier's Institute was a place for redemption as well as learning. Rogue had said so. She too, had started out on the wrong side, though her stay with the Brotherhood had been much shorter than Remy's life of crime. He was eighteen, hardly too old to change, which meant he had a shot. Heck, he had already been changing the day he laid eyes on Rogue.

He'd always thought of her as a heavenly body, an angel that had graced him with her presence. If he'd ever voiced that opinion out loud, he knew he'd be patronized. When thinking of Rogue, anyone who knew her would hardly describe her in those terms. Except Remy.

She had taken the time to get to know him, to find out who he really was. What she had found was a man that he hadn't known himself. Rogue had managed to unearth a person that Remy didn't know existed. Underneath all the dirt and grime sat a decent man. A man who cared about the welfare of others, and a man with compassion and empathy as well.

It was startling for Remy to realize that he wasn't really all that bad of a guy. Rogue had seen it. It didn't mean that Remy had suddenly become incapable of doing bad things; it just meant that he weighed his options a little better than he had before. He took better care to mind the consequences and impact of his actions.

Other than all the sneaking and lies it took, Remy rather liked this newly discovered version of himself.

Remy yawned and glanced at the bedside clock, startled by how late it had gotten. Had Rogue really been in his arms that long? He gave her reluctant little nudge to wake her. She groaned sleepily, struggling to prop her head up.

"It's well past your bedtime, cherie," Remy murmured in her ear. "It'd be foolish to blow our cover now."

Rogue's groan turned into a staggered whine, clearly indicating where she would rather spend the night. It brought a small smile to Remy's face.

"Up and at 'em, chere," he prompted.

Rogue answered with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, yeah, I'm up."

"And your headache?" Remy inquired softly.

"Gone." She stretched her arms out languidly. "Which is where I should be as well."

Remy gave her a bittersweet smile. "You know if I had my way you'd be here all night, but—"

"But they will be wondering where I am," she finished. She crept to the window and pulled it open. "Think about what I said, Remy. I feel fine now. You know I can do this. It will work."

"We'll talk about it more tomorrow. There are still things you need to know." _Ugly, unpleasant things, _his mind added silently.

"'Night, Sug." She blew him a kiss before disappearing out his window.

Rogue hurried to her bike and started the engine. She was late. It was lucky Remy realized what time it was. She hadn't planed on the evening to unfold the way it had. Remy was spooked. He didn't want her absorbing Magneto, especially not after seeing her black out and become another person—twice. Rogue kept telling herself that it was just a phase, or that she was simply under too much stress. Her concentration was off. It wasn't anything serious or to worry about.

Tomorrow she'd make up with Risty and eliminate some of her troubles. After that, she'd work on convincing Remy that following through with her plan wasn't reckless. She understood his concerns, but she doubted that he fully understood hers. Remy and Piotr were not invincible and going up against Magneto was dangerous. She could handle it, she'd absorbed Magneto once before and she managed okay. She already had the experience fighting the man, whereas Remy didn't.

It was better that she was involved. She could protect Remy if need be, and Piotr too. All she had to do was take her gloves off if something went wrong.

Rogue had expected Logan to be the one waiting for her when she arrived at the mansion's door, slightly after curfew. Instead, the Professor sat calmly in the mansion's front foyer. She could have sworn she was supposed to be in trouble for being late, but Xavier's expression was not one of anger.

"Getting in a little late, aren't you?" the Professor asked.

"Yeah, sorry… I lost track of time, and—"

"I hope everything worked out between you and Risty."

Rogue stopped. "Huh? Oh yeah, we're cool. I guess Logan talked to you?"

"Yes, he did. Quite worried when you didn't come home on time. I assured him everything was fine." The Professor chuckled abruptly. "I can't imagine how embarrassing it would have been for you if Logan showed up unexpectedly to get you."

Rogue's face flushed with horror at the prospect of Logan discovering where she had really been and what she'd really been doing. "You have no idea how mortifying that would have been," Rogue breathed in relief.

The Professor chuckled again. "Which is exactly why I said I'd handle it. He means well, but sometimes Logan would do best if he knew what it was like to be a teenage girl."

Rogue was given the most bizarre visual of Logan as not only a teenager, but as a girl. She stifled a giggled.

The Professor raised a wry eyebrow. "I see you understand my point. Things are complicated enough in a young woman's life, and the last thing I want to do is to complicate things further."

"So… I'm not in trouble?" Rogue broached carefully.

The Professor smiled. "No, no. I think we'll simply write this one off. You've had a rough past few days and I think you need a little normalcy in your life."

Rogue frowned, not fully comprehending what the Professor was getting at.

"You need time to be a teenage girl," the Professor elaborated, reading her blank expression. "Friendships are important, and if being a little late this evening lets you be a normal teenager, then I am willing to overlook this one time."

"Thanks, Professor." Rogue gave him a quick smile. "I'd better be getting off to bed."

"I certainly don't expect you to make a habit of this, Rogue," Xavier called back sternly.

"Of course, Professor, I understand."

Rogue counted her blessings and her luck all the way up the stairs. If Logan had been allowed to do what he normally did, she doubted everyone would be so forgiving to find her in the bed of an Acolyte instead of making amends with Risty. Thankfully, Professor Xavier was a man of tact and understanding. The man understood more about being a teenager than a teenager did.

Although, she did have to wonder just how much the Professor really knew about what was going on. It seemed drastic not to allow Logan to go and pick her up because she was late 'being out with Risty'.

She almost turned right back around and descended the staircase to ask the Professor, when she realized how stupid that would be. She hurried to her room. There was no sense in revealing anything or making Xavier suspicious of what she'd been doing. She was just being paranoid. Not everyone knew or was suspicious about her and Remy. She had to get a grip. This guilty conscience-thing was going to get her into trouble.

And she couldn't afford to be discovered, not until after she followed through with her plan.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I've become rather busy with the Holiday season starting up and haven't had time to respond like I usually do. My deepest apologies. I'll still try to post chapters in a timely fashion though! :)_


	12. Chapter 12

Piotr sat quietly on a sturdy wooden crate, nervously fiddling with his watch. Remy sat across from him on what looked like a turn of the century sofa. He was willing to bet that the drama department's carelessly used prop was actually a valuable antique. He wondered if Remy had an eye for that sort of thing as well.

"Piotr, stop looking so nervous," Remy said with a hint of annoyance. "She'll be here."

Piotr stopped playing with his watch and seconds later, the door to the drama department's storage creaked open, revealing Rogue. She looked startled to see Piotr sitting dolefully on the crate in his red gym shorts and crisp white T-shirt.

"Uh? Hello?" she greeted a little apprehensively. It was the first time they'd ever spoken.

"Hello," Piotr said, rising to his feet to properly shake her hand and introduce himself. "I am Piotr Rasputin, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Perhaps his introduction had been too formal. The girl's eyes widened a bit, but she smiled warmly and shook his hand.

"I'm just Rogue."

Piotr smiled sheepishly. He had been too formal. But he had wanted to make sure that he made a good impression on Remy's girlfriend. Rogue was offering to help him and not only that—she was one of the great Professor Xavier's students.

Ever since Piotr had learned of Xavier's Institute, he knew in his heart of hearts that's where he wanted to be. And he would have been there already if not for Magneto. When his family was safe, Piotr wanted so badly to follow his dream and join the Institute where tolerance and acceptance was preached and learned. Making a good impression on Rogue would hopefully give him better standing with the mutants he'd been forced to fight with under Magneto's command.

Rogue took her seat beside Remy, whose arm instantly draped over her shoulder. It was nice to see the two so casual with their relationship in front of someone. It made Piotr feel like he was part of the big secret. The more he thought about it, he realized he was part of the secret. Other than Creed, he was the only outsider who knew that Remy was seeing this girl. It was nice that they trusted him enough to act openly around him.

"We should discuss this quickly," Piotr began. "I am skipping one of my studies and—"

"Oh, Piotr!" Remy interrupted irritably. "No one cares if you skip class! It's not like you've never graduated high school before!"

Rogue covered her mouth with her hand to hide her grin. Colossus was actually worried about breaking the school rules. It was kind of sweet and endearing, and it told her plenty more about Piotr. He was a by the book kind of guy, who liked rules and regulations. He enjoyed structured environments and enjoyed learning. Being at Bayville High all day in classes must have been a complete joy to Piotr, since he was able to escape being an Acolyte for most of the day.

"Remy," Rogue chided gently, patting his arm. "I'm sure he's just worried about Pyro wondering why he's not in gym class." She gave Piotr an encouraging smile. The big man actually blushed and cast his eyes downward. Rogue was beginning to think that Piotr was ridiculously cute—in a puppy dog sort of way. Kitty was just going to _love_ him.

There was no doubt in her mind that Piotr would be perfect for the Institute. She could see the Professor accepting him in a heartbeat. Remy, on the other hand… She was a little dubious, and only because he had chose to become an Acolyte, not forced into it like Piotr had. But she liked to think that the Professor could see hope in everyone, even the lost causes. After all, the sagely man had tried to recruit Toad once upon a time, and Dukes as well.

"So the plan is that I absorb Magneto. Get straight to the source and find out where he's keeping your family," Rogue explained.

Piotr gave Remy a stern glance that didn't go unnoticed by Rogue.

"What?" she asked impatiently. "What's that look for?"

Remy opened his mouth to speak and closed it, shifting in his seat before finally opening his mouth again. "Look, chere, remember when I said there were still some things I needed to tell you? Well, I mentioned it to Piotr first—to see what he thought, y'know and um…"

"You have to tell her," Piotr replied firmly. "It is not right to keep such a thing from her."

"Remy?" Rogue asked with suspicion. "What's going on?"

Remy swallowed hard before speaking, "It's about your friend Risty."

Rogue's eyes narrowed angrily. "Did she approach you?" The look on Remy's face answered her question. "I can't believe her! She actually had the nerve! She told me to stay away from you, but I never imagined she'd go behind my back and talk to you! What did she say?"

Remy cringed a little at Rogue's outrage. Maybe now wasn't the time to tell her about Mystique. Piotr nudged his head and stared Remy down, urging him to keep going.

Remy furrowed his brow and sighed. "Rogue, cherie… Risty isn't exactly who you think she is."

Rogue stopped in mid tirade. Her jaw dropped open. "Wha…?"

"Risty is Mystique," Remy continued quickly, hoping he wouldn't have to repeat it. "She's been disguised as Risty in order to keep an eye on you."

Rogue stared at Remy, studying his face, waiting for a punch line that never came. "Oh my God," she breathed, "you're serious."

"I—" Remy couldn't find the right words to say. Somehow, 'I'm sorry' just didn't cut it. He jerked her into a hug and held her tightly instead.

"Remy?" Her voice muffled against his chest. "You're suffocating me."

Remy pulled away from her with a slight frown. "Is that all you have to say about this?"

Rogue scrunched her face a bit. "No, but it's all I can think to say right now. You're absolutely certain that Risty is really Mystique?"

"One hundred percent."

Rogue took a deep breath. "Okay…" She straightened her shoulders and bravely cleared her throat. "I guess that makes things easier, doesn't it?"

"How do you mean?" Remy asked.

"Well," Rogue began, "I can absorb Mystique to get her shapeshifting abilities, then shift into an Acolyte—probably Creed since he's missing—that way I can get close enough to Magneto without detection. I can absorb Magneto with almost no trouble at all."

"And you are okay with doing this?" Piotr asked with deep concern. "After all, she is your—"

Rogue cocked her head when Piotr abruptly stopped speaking. She glanced at Remy. It was obvious that Remy had made some sort of gesture to stop Piotr from continuing.

"She's my what?" Rogue asked suspiciously. "Remy, what else are you hiding?"

Remy groaned. "I didn't want to have to bring up the other part."

Piotr's eyes widened and he slowly understood. "She does not know, does she?" he marveled. "Remy, how could you keep something like that from her?"

"Keep _what_ from me?" Rogue asked exasperated. She was starting to feel a little ignored here.

"That Mystique may be your foster mother," Remy muttered quietly.

Rogue gasped. "That can't be possible!"

"Yeah, it can. She's a shapeshifter, Rogue. She could have been just about anyone in your life. Look at Risty." Remy answered gently. "No one but Mystique knows for sure if she's your mom, but Magneto had mentioned it here and there since we've been working for him."

"It is true," Piotr added solemnly. "I am sorry, Rogue. I thought you knew."

Rogue couldn't describe the range of emotions she was feeling. She felt lost and betrayed, but at the same time felt as though things finally made sense. It explained why Mystique had always had a special interest in her.

Deep down she felt as though she'd always known that Mystique had taken up a guise to adopt her. And it sure as hell explained Risty's recent behaviour. But to describe how it felt to have a mutant terrorist for a mother—well, that was something she couldn't explain. She wondered for a brief moment if Irene had known. Who was she kidding? Of course Irene would have known. Rogue pursed her lips in disappointment; the two women who were supposed to care about her had betrayed her.

"How long have you known, Remy?" Rogue whispered darkly, turning her attention on him. "Choose carefully, because if you say 'since before we started dating…'"

"It was." Remy's voice could have cut diamonds.

Rogue stood up. "I see."

Piotr began fidgeting with his watchstrap, a nervous gesture to show his discomfort regarding the tense situation. He was doing his best to blend into the background if Remy and Rogue began to argue.

"Now wait a minute, chere." Remy began rising to his feet as well. "What good would it have done either of us? Me passing on hearsay like that? I can't even verify it."

"You should have told me, Remy. Even if you weren't sure."

"I didn't want to be the one to say it," he answered defiantly. "It puts me in an awful position. You think I wanted to be the one to hurt you with those words?"

Rogue bowed her head. "No. I know you didn't want to be, and I'm sorry you had to be the one to tell me. I guess I'm just mad, and you're the closest person around."

"I'm sorry," Remy answered in a subdued voice.

"This changes nothing in terms of the plan," Rogue countered back fiercely. "If anything, it only strengthens my desire to do this."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Remy asked warily. "Absorbing Mystique might dig up something painful—"

Rogue's eyes flashed fervently. "I'm sure, Remy. I'm not gonna abandon Piotr's family, just 'cause mine's rotten."

"I am very grateful for your sacrifice," Piotr answered humbly.

The man had been so quiet and unobtrusive that Rogue had forgotten he was even in the room. "Don't worry, Piotr, I can absorb Mystique today. I was meaning to make amends with Risty anyways, so I can use that as a ruse."

Remy stared intently at Rogue, looking for any signs of distress. She seemed to be taking all this bad news a little too well. "Rogue, you've had a lot to take in, perhaps tomorrow—"

"I said: I can do it today." The tone of her voice was sharp and cold. "That woman owes me answers and not only does it get me _honest_ answers, but it helps us out in the long run."

She had already decided what course of action she was going to take, and Remy knew he was just prolonging the inevitable. Nothing would stop Rogue from finding out the truth now. The scale had been tipped and her decision, however reckless, had been made.

It wasn't as if Rogue had never acted recklessly before. She had, and it was part of her charm. But in this instance, Remy was highly against her impulsive actions. They had no idea where her reckless behaviour would lead. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do if something went wrong and Rogue took on Mystique's malicious personality. Fighting Creed's raw, brute force was one thing, but Mystique was an entirely different breed of fighter. One Remy wasn't too sure he could best. Needless to say, he had a bad feeling abut all of this.

"We have a make up lab after school today," Remy reminded her, hoping it would sway her decision.

"You just said that skipping classes didn't matter!" she cried.

"Yeah, for Pete and I. You on the other hand, need to graduate," Remy retorted. "We're doing that lab after school."

Rogue folded her arms across her chest and scowled. "Fine, but when we're done, we _are_ going after Mystique."

"We'll see."

"This isn't a discussion anymore, Remy. I'm doing this," she answered flatly.

Remy was verging on frustration. God, if she wasn't the most stubborn girl he'd ever met. He wasn't going to win this battle. The best he could now was bunker in for the potential aftermath. Piotr wisely kept his mouth shut. He didn't know Rogue well enough to even attempt to tell her what to do.

"Alright, but you don't do anything unless I'm there," Remy answered back. He hated losing this argument.

"If she sees you around, she'll get suspicious and know you told me. It's better if I go to her under the pretense of making amends with Risty."

"I don't like it," Remy replied crisply.

"You don't have to," Rogue answered back defiantly.

Having said her final words, Rogue left the storage room. She headed for the school's main exit, needing some fresh air. Mixtures of varying emotions swam through her very being. For the first time in a long time, she felt alone and betrayed. Even being with Remy tested her patience. She wasn't sure whether she was angry with him or not.

He had no right to try and tell her what to do, especially when he had kept such significant information from her. She understood his need to protect her, she did, but she couldn't erase the fact that he had known about Mystique's ties to her. If Mystique had really been her foster parent, Rogue had every right to know the truth. She also needed to know what Mystique's motives really were.

Rogue already had a pretty good idea about that. Mystique had wanted Rogue's mutation for the Brotherhood at one time, and Rogue doubted even now that Mystique would be willing to just hand her over to the Professor. Mystique had another agenda for her, and it made Rogue furious. She wasn't a puppet to be controlled. She was a human being, a daugh—

Rogue choked back a sob. She would never be that woman's daughter. And now that she knew the truth, she could never be Irene's either. Both women had played a dark role in her life and their betrayals ran deep, cutting her to the core.

A sharp crack of thunder had her jerking her head upwards. She groaned in disbelief as raindrops began to fall down on her from the charcoal grey clouds that had formed above her.

"Stop it!" she hissed in vain. "This isn't mine! It's sunny everywhere else! Just stop!"

She clenched her eyes shut, wishing that Storm's power would fade. She hadn't meant to call it up or use it. She had to keep it together. She had to be strong. Her world was crumbling beneath her, therefore, no time for weakness. She was a fighter, and as much as she wanted to curl up into a ball and cry her heart out, she wasn't going to.

She fought hard to bring that icy ball of anger back up and push every other emotion back down, deep within her. She knew ignoring it wouldn't make the pain go away, but for now, she needed to keep focused. She needed that anger, that betrayal, to keep her from crumpling over. There was work that needed to be done and she was the one that needed to do it. She would deal with everything else afterwards.

* * *

"Is she going to be okay?" Piotr asked with concern.

"I don't know," Remy mumbled in reply. "I thought she'd be a bit more, I don't know… hysterical?"

"She did take the news rather well."

"Almost too well."

"It is cause for concern then," Piotr replied, getting to his feet. "She is angry right now and with good reason to be. She will not be thinking as calmly as normal. Mistakes are likely to happen."

"That's why I intend to be there when she confronts Mystique," Remy answered. "Whether Rogue likes it or not."

"She will not be happy with you."

Remy folded his arms across his chest. "Doesn't matter. I'll be damned if I let something happen to her."

Piotr smiled. "You are a good man, Remy LeBeau. It is almost a shame that you have only realized this now."

Remy shrugged. "Yeah, well I s'pose it was bound to happen sooner or later. Come on, let's get to class."

Remy stayed on pins and needles throughout the day. Remy learned quickly that Rogue was a tough girl to keep track of when she wanted to be alone. He didn't see her in the cafeteria at lunchtime, and during Chemistry class, she had distanced herself from him. She chose to stare vacantly out the window rather than pay any attention to him or their assignment.

He didn't really blame her. She had a lot to think about. A good portion of her life as she knew it had changed in the blink of an eye. He wanted the opportunity to tell her that he still understood. He understood exactly what she was going though with Mystique and maybe that was why he had kept things from her.

He'd always been drawn to Rogue. She was just like him, and when he'd found out more about her, he couldn't resist the urge to get closer to her. To bond with someone who was so similar. He had never told her about his past or his family, but as the day inched forward, Remy knew he had to.

Rogue needed to know that whatever she was feeling in terms of Mystique, he had felt before too. Someone who had wanted to exploit his mutation had adopted him as well. And when he had learned the truth, it had hurt like hell. Rogue needed to know that he was there for her in no uncertain terms.

Right now, he suspected that Rogue felt all alone. She had left the storage room in an angry blur, and it was partly his fault. He hadn't handled things the way he should have. He had anticipated the wrong reaction from her, and didn't know how to respond to her cold, determined demeanor. She was acting like a rock, but even Remy knew that rocks could crack and crumble.

The make up lab after school had become a blessing in disguise. They would be alone, just the two of them, and Remy would get a chance to say the things that still needed to be said.

When the final bell rang, Remy hurried along the corridors back to the Chemistry lab. The teacher hastily instructed Remy on the lab before practically dashing out of the room, eager to get home. Rogue showed up a few minutes later and closed the classroom door behind her.

"How are you doing?" Remy asked as Rogue took her seat beside him.

She shrugged in a bored sort of way. "Okay, I guess."

"Look, I know we've never really talked about our…"

"Parents?" she offered.

"Pasts."

"Sug, none of that really matters. I know you're a good person and—"

"But what you don't know is that I get what you're going through right now," Remy interrupted. "I know you think you're the only one who feels alone and betrayed—"

"Remy," Rogue interjected sternly, "no offense, but I just found out that the women who raised me, who I thought _loved_ me, only wanted me for my mutation. Nothing you can say to me will make me feel better or feel like you understand."

"Jean-Luc adopted me for those exact reasons."

Rogue froze. Remy rarely mentioned his adoptive father, and Rogue had always assumed that it was because there was bad blood between them. She had never dreamed that Remy was adopted solely for his mutation.

"I had no idea," she whispered.

"So you aren't alone, cherie. You can talk to me, because I _do_ get it. I get everything you're feeling right now."

"Did Jean-Luc ever disguise himself as your best friend to keep tabs on you?" Rogue replied with a bitter edge Remy had never heard.

"Almost. All my friends were Guild spies, reporting back to him. I know betrayal like the back of my hand."

The sharp look in her eyes softened. He _did_ get it. "Remy—"

"And I know you want answers and that you're angry, even if you are hiding it well. That's why I'm going to be there when you absorb Mystique. I won't be in plain sight, but I'm not leaving you alone either. You've had enough of being alone and relying on just yourself."

She sniffed and Remy realized that her eyes had taken on the glossy sheen of tears. Before he could react, she buried her head into his chest and cried.


	13. Chapter 13

Rogue couldn't remember the last time that she had really truly cried. She had never been that type of girl. She had learned at a very young age, flitting through foster homes, that life was tough and that the weak didn't survive. Then two women had taken her in, cared for her, loved her…

And it had all been a lie.

The happiest moments of Rogue's childhood had been bold-faced lies. Somehow, Mystique and Irene had known all along that she would manifest a rare mutant ability that could be nurtured and used to their advantage. Used for evil.

Rogue felt dirty, unclean. Ashamed. She clung to Remy, sobbing like a wounded child, hoping the tears could wash away everything she was feeling. She'd been played a fool.

Remy's hands rubbed her back in a soft, soothing motion; his scent invaded her nostrils and she could hear his heart thumping away in his chest. Every bit of him was love. She had never been more grateful to have him than she did right now. She had had no idea just how good it felt to cry freely and have someone comfort her. There was no judgment or pity resonating from him. Only love.

Amongst the tears, it was then that it occurred to her that they were forever. She and Remy weren't just a flash in the pan, a meaningless fling. They were the real deal. And regardless of the consequences, she knew why all the lies and the sneaking had been worth it.

Underneath all the puppy love, attraction, and sex, ran something much more profound and honest. Sure, she knew she loved him, but never to this degree. It was no wonder that they could never end things when they had tried to. Some untouchable force kept pulling them back together. She'd fight to the death to keep him as hers, and knew he'd do the same.

What they were couldn't be wrong. She knew her teammates and instructors would think differently. That was the cause for all the sneaking. But for the first time, Rogue knew that she was the one who was right. She'd been feeling guilty and wrong for all the lies she'd been telling, when really, she had been protecting and holding on to the most important thing in her life. Remy.

With a final sniff, she pulled her head from his chest and looked up at the man who held her heart and quite possibly her soul. There was no doubt that he understood every inch of her—physical and emotional. It was there, unwavering, in his eyes. He hurt because she did.

"I love you," she whispered. "More than I think you'll ever know."

He smiled down at her and gently brushed the tears from her cheeks. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his smooth, black leather glove brush across her face.

She smiled and shook her head slightly, coming to another realization. "You wear the gloves all the time now."

His answer was simple, but one that rang true. "For moments like these."

He was always doing the little things that mattered to her. The little things she'd been taking for granted. "Thank you," she answered gratefully.

"You don't need to thank me for what comes naturally," he replied with a slight flush to his cheeks.

"Someday, I'll kiss you properly for this," she replied with a small smile.

"And I'll wait for that day with anticipation, but for now we've got a lab that needs to be done. Otherwise, we'll be here all night."

Rogue felt leaps and bounds better. Like everything was going to be okay, and that she'd survive this blight on her heart. Remy had survived a similar ordeal, so it proved that she could too.

Straightening herself up and regaining her usual demeanor, she asked, "Is my mascara running?"

Remy chuckled softly and Rogue appreciated the rich, low rumble that started in his stomach and worked its way up. "No, you look fine, like you haven't a care in the world."

She pulled out a small compact mirror from her book bag anyway—just to double check. She didn't want any evidence remaining on her face that she had been crying. Remy might not notice slight smudges, but Mystique would.

Satisfied that nothing looked amiss on her face, Rogue got down to work with Remy, following his lead on their lab. She really was quite lucky to have someone who'd already passed Chemistry as a lab partner. Otherwise, she was sure she'd fail the class miserably.

When they finished their assignment, they parted ways. There was no sense in lingering around together in case someone happened to see them. It would not bode well for Rogue to be with Remy so comfortably in the empty hall and chance running into a straggling student.

It was a good thing that she followed her gut instincts, because sure enough, when Rogue pushed open the heavy metal doors to the outside, Mystique was waiting for her. Rogue was careful to act a little distant and affronted towards Risty. It was hard to remember that they'd had an argument the other day now that she knew who Risty really was. It was even harder to remember that they used to be friends and from this point on would no longer be.

Anger and embarrassment flashed through Rogue when she thought of all the secrets and bits of herself that she had unknowingly shared with this woman. For crying out loud, Risty had known all about her unrequited crush on Scott Summers.

"Hey, Rist," Rogue mumbled dryly, in an offhand sort of greeting.

"I, uh, waited for you," Risty replied with an apologetic smile. "I've been wanting to talk to you all day, but you've been hard to find."

"What's to talk about?" Rogue answered coolly.

"I noticed you seemed less social with your lab partner today in Chem."

"And what of it, Rist?" Rogue asked, crossing her arms. "You didn't like him anyway."

Something like triumph glittered briefly through Risty's eyes. "You've had a falling out then?"

Rogue shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe you were right. Maybe he was trouble."

Risty breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad." Rogue wrinkled her nose and Risty quickly corrected herself. "I mean, I knew he was no good. And the nerve of him trying to get you alone—"

"You talked to him?" Rogue asked sharply and watched as fear washed over Risty.

"He didn't tell you?" Risty asked hesitantly.

Rogue enjoyed Mystique's cursing under the mask of Risty. She had revealed something she hadn't intended on to Rogue. Mystique's slip up made Rogue a little more confident about this encounter.

"No," Rogue answered plainly, "he didn't. I guess it doesn't matter anyway."

"I've been a complete idiot, Rogue. I'm sorry," Risty apologized. "I should have trusted you to make the right decision."

Rogue gave a short smile in return. "Me too, I was a complete cow the other day."

This was going to be too easy.

"Friends?" Risty asked.

"Yeah," Rogue answered, opening her arms for a hug. Risty gave her a strange look. They had never hugged before, and Rogue really wasn't the hugging type, but it was the first time they'd ever had a real fight so Mystique took the bait. Rogue's ploy worked, and Risty stepped forward to embrace her.

Rogue wrapped her arms around Risty in what she hoped was a friendly, girlish manner, trying to emulate how Kitty hugged. Risty fell for it and Rogue slyly removed a glove.

The contact of her bare hand to the back of Risty's neck was instant. Rogue was absorbing before Risty had any idea what was happening. It was already too late when Mystique shoved Rogue away.

Dropping to the ground in front of Rogue, Risty's body faded away to reveal a very shocked Mystique. "He told you all about me," she choked out in a voice that matched her face. "I didn't think he would."

Rogue slid her glove back on as Mystique slipped from consciousness. "Of course he would," she answered, not caring if Mystique could hear her or not, "but I wouldn't expect you to understand why."

"I can explain…" Mystique began and the world blurred in front of her. Before her eyes dropped shut, another figure appeared beside Rogue. His arm slid around her daughter's shoulder and Mystique cursed his name, although she couldn't be sure it was out loud.

"You okay?" Remy asked Rogue. He'd been keeping a close eye on her from the school's rooftop. He suspected that Mystique would try and make contact with Rogue as soon as possible. Luckily, he'd been around.

"I think so," Rogue answered with a shaky voice. "It's all true, she and Irene are both mutants and both were my foster parents."

"Chere…"

"It's alright, Remy," Rogue reassured with a bitter smile. "At least I know the truth."

And she did. More truth had been revealed than Rogue had ever wanted to know. Being placed in Mystique and Irene's care had been an intricate plot right from the get go. Rogue discovered through Mystique's memories that Irene was in fact a precognitive mutant, able to glimpse bits and pieces of potential futures. One such future involved securing Rogue into their fold.

The woman Rogue thought of as a mother had only wanted and cared for her because of what she was destined to become. Lies had been used to cover up any possibility that she manifested her mutation early and unexpectedly. For example, Rogue had been raised believing that from a very young age, she had a rare skin condition. She was always carefully covered and guarded around others.

Rogue felt foolish believing all the lies. Obviously, she knew the skin condition excuse had been a lie, but up until her mutation manifested she had always wondered. Irene had known ahead of time what Rogue's mutation would be and took necessary precautions. Because of prior knowledge to a mutation that hadn't manifested, Rogue had missed out on plenty of things: boys, kissing, holding hands, team sports, close friends… the list went on and on. She felt as though her life had been stolen. All because of what her mutation could do.

"They never wanted me for me, Remy. Not once."

Remy gripped her shoulders tighter, keeping her within his grasp. "I want you for you."

She looked up at him and gave him a small smile shadowed in sorrow. "My whole life has been a lie."

"No," Remy corrected, "_their_ lives have been lies. You lived innocently, not knowing any better. The failure falls on them."

"Is that what you tell yourself?" she asked, wondering how Remy had managed to get past his betrayals.

He gave her a sideways grin. "Except for the 'innocent' part."

"Apparently Mystique believes I'm some sort of key to gaining her ultimate power. That's why she's so interested in me. I couldn't find any more concrete thoughts on it though."

Remy frowned. "That's a little weird, but then, I've never really thought Mystique was entirely sane. How are you doing with everything else?"

"Like her mutation you mean?"

"Yeah."

Rogue shifted her body before Remy's eyes, becoming a spitting image of him. They could have been identical twins. "What do you think, mon Cher?" she crooned.

"Ugh!" Remy replied, shuddering. "That gives me the creeps."

She laughed her laugh and it unnerved Remy even more to hear her voice coming from his body. He watched with morbid curiosity as her body rippled slightly before shifting back into her own form.

"It's actually surprisingly easy to control," she said.

"It doesn't feel overbearing or invasive?"

"I'm not going to transform into Mystique," Rogue replied flatly. "I am in complete control."

Remy didn't say anything, but Rogue noticed his shoulders relax a bit. He had been worried about her, probably still was. There was no way that she could convince him that she was fine. She felt like herself and she felt in control. Despite all the emotional garbage she'd just been exposed to, she felt good, strong. She was a fighter and had every intention of taking this pain and using it.

With that in mind, it was easy to shift her form and use Mystique's power. She kind of felt that it was owed to her in some way, that Mystique's treachery could be used positively in helping out Piotr's family. She focused again, willing her body to take a new shape.

Remy jumped back, startled when he recognized the form. "Does it have to be him, cherie?"

"Creed is the only Acolyte missing. It's the most convincing disguise," Rogue answered diplomatically in Creed's growly voice. It sounded weird and unnatural. "We'd better go find Piotr and get this over and done with."

Remy wasn't going to argue with Rogue. It shook him up to his core to see her transform into Creed. Only this time, she looked like Creed on the outside, but remained Rogue on the inside—the exact opposite of the last time. She had told him that she was fine, but it didn't make Remy any less wary. Rogue could be fine right now, but that didn't mean she'd stay that way. Remy had seen her change personalities in the blink of an eye.

They made it to the Acolyte warehouse where Piotr was waiting in relatively short time. The anxiety showed on Piotr's face as plain as day. He was fidgeting with his watch again when Remy and Rogue approached him. Piotr eyed Rogue in Creed's form cautiously. He wouldn't speak unless spoken to first. Smart man, for all he knew it could have been the real Creed at Remy's side.

"Everything's a go," Remy said casually.

Piotr exhaled a sigh of relief and motioned to Creed's form. "Is that—?"

"Yeah, it's me, Petey," Rogue answered, putting the big man's fears to rest.

"Magneto will be here soon. It is almost time for our usual meeting."

Remy lifted up his sleeve and glanced at his own watch. Piotr was right, Magneto would arrive at any time, and so would Pyro.

Remy wasn't too sure about Pyro. He was positive the man was clinically insane, and that could affect many things in terms of Pyro's loyalties. Remy doubted that Pyro would involve himself in either side, but Remy didn't know for certain. He hated wild cards when they weren't his own. Pyro presented another factor to be wary of.

Speaking of the devil, Pyro came in through the back door to warehouse shortly after Remy and Rogue had arrived. His hair was a brighter orange than usual and Remy fought back a laugh, even at a time like this.

"Back from the salon again I see." Remy smirked.

A self-conscious hand went up to Pyro's flaming orange hair. "Well, it's not this colour naturally, and my roots were starting to show." There was the tiniest hint of defensiveness to his voice. "Anyways, it's better than your swamp water brown, although not as dashing as Piotr's jet black."

Rogue stared at the man known as Pyro in mild disbelief. She couldn't believe she was sitting in on a hair colour discussion. Were all the Acolyte's topics of conversation so mundane? It was funny to see just how like the mutants at Xavier's they really were. Rogue had always been under the impression that villains plotted and disagreed all of the time. Quite on the contrary, the younger Acolytes seemed to poke fun and jest just like normal boys.

"Oy? I see you finally decided to show up," Pyro said, speaking directly to her. "Where have you been the past few days?"

"Fishing," Rogue answered with a bare growl.

Pyro only raised an eyebrow, but kept his mouth shut. Clearly, he had something smart-mouthed to reply back with, but thought better of it. Creed scared even the Acolytes. At that moment, the room took on an eerie, weighted feeling, like the building was shifting and reforming. Rogue didn't need to look at any of the boy's faces to know that Magneto had arrived. She felt the man behind her, and tensed slightly.

"Sabertooth, how nice of you to join us." There was an edge to Magneto's voice, one that could cut through steel. Rogue hesitated; maybe Creed hadn't been a good disguise after all. If Magneto was angry with Creed for disappearing, then Rogue might be in serious trouble if he intended to punish the man.

She could feel Magneto directly behind her now, so close that his breath brushed against her hair. She would never have a better shot than right now. All she had to do was turn around and face him. Creed's fast reflexes would do the rest. Without giving it another thought, running solely on nerve and adrenaline, she turned and faced Magneto.

As quick as Creed's muscle memory would allow her, she grasped Magneto's face in her bare, clawed hand. The rush of Magneto's power and thoughts overwhelmed her on contact. Still, she weeded through mountains upon mountains of brainwaves, memories and thoughts; searching for the information she desperately needed. She hadn't taken into consideration just how long she would have to keep her skin in contact with Magneto's to find the location of Piotr's family.

And that was her vital mistake.


	14. Chapter 14

Remy knew instantly that something was wrong with Rogue. As Magneto's drained body fell to the ground, Rogue stumbled clumsily backwards. She met his eyes briefly with her usual green ones before the colour shifted into someone else's. She appeared severely disoriented as her body rapidly shifted through various forms using Mystique's mutation.

"Uhhhhh…" Pyro gaped in confusion. "Is Creed supposed to be able to do that?"

"That's not Creed, you idiot!" Remy snapped before rushing towards Rogue, concerned. "It's Rogue!"

Pyro's hands instantly lit ablaze with a wicked flame. "We've been infiltrated!"

Pyro started to manipulate the flames that danced in his hands, readying himself to attack Rogue when Piotr stepped in and pulled him back.

"You will not be attacking her," Piotr said gruffly.

"What the hell is going on, mate?" Pyro screeched. "Magneto's on the ground, Creed isn't Creed, and that girl from Xavier's is all over the place!" He squinted his eyes and waved his arms erratically in Remy's direction. "And why _the hell_ is Gambit trying to help her?"

"Piotr!" Remy called, disrupting the conversation. "A little help here!" Remy was struggling to pacify Rogue who had now shifted and stayed in Colossus's form and was honestly fighting him.

"You stay here and keep your flames to yourself," Piotr instructed Pyro firmly. "She is not to be harmed."

Pyro gaped some more. "Wait," he began with his face contorting in anger as the situation slowly began to dawn on him. "Is this a mutiny?"

Piotr was already running to help Remy, ignoring Pyro. The flame-haired man threw his arms up in the air angrily. "This _is_ a mutiny! Why the hell didn't anyone tell me?"

"Because nobody trusts you!" Remy shouted back vapidly.

"Oh, like you're one to talk, mate!" Pyro hissed from across the warehouse.

"Well, at least I can keep my mouth shut!" Remy snapped back, just barely dodging one of Rogue's metal fists.

Piotr grabbed Rogue from behind, trying to subdue her, only to have her shift into Pyro and set Piotr's metal body on fire. Piotr had no choice but to let go as the metal platting reached scalding temperatures.

"Oh _Hell_," Pyro breathed as he jumped into the fray, shoving Piotr out of the way. "I forgot about her absorbing me."

"Pyro," Remy shouted from the opposite side, being held back by massive flames. "Don't hurt her or I swear to God I'll kill you!"

"Yeah, yeah," Pyro muttered darkly, advancing towards Rogue with flames of his own, "keep the sheila safe, I got it."

"Remy, we have to get her to stay focused and shift back into herself," Piotr called. "It is almost like she is confused as to who she is and who we are!"

"It's the personalities, she's absorbed," Remy called back. "She's lost control of them and they all want out."

"Uh, guys?" Pyro shouted in a panic, "She's shifting again, and I know I can't handle the weather witch."

Rogue quickly took to flight in Storm's form and dark rain clouds circled above her. The downpour of rain she called forth was fast and instant, dousing Pyro's flames and leaving him drenched to the bone.

"Piotr," Remy warned, "stay back, if she hits you with lighting—"

"I know!" Piotr shouted, backing away. "You're going to have to do something."

Remy only nodded and used his telescopic staff to launch himself into the air. He fired off a few charged cards, hoping to knock Rogue off her balance—or focus—so that she would shift into someone else.

"Rogue, ma cherie," he called, "you've got to fight this. You know this isn't you!"

His words fell on deaf ears and Rogue shifted again, this time into Magneto. The fury of betrayal flashed violently in her eyes. Remy didn't have time to react to the attack she sent his way, but thankfully, Piotr had.

Every metal nail from every storage crates in the warehouse shot from its wooden confinements and towards Remy at deathly speeds. Piotr leapt in front of Remy, shielding his body with his own. Remy cringed as the nails plinked and clanked against Piotr's metal armor, dropping to the ground with considerable force.

"Thanks, Pete," Remy gasped in relief. He'd almost been a goner and both young men knew it.

"What do we do, Remy?" Piotr asked with worry. "How do we get her back?"

"I don't know," Remy admitted, "but we have to keep trying."

"This is insane, Gambit!" Pyro shrieked, dodging metal canisters that flew at frightening speeds towards him. "Playing nice is getting us nowhere! Just what the hell is going on, and what's this girl to you?"

"Just remain defensive!" Remy shouted back. "I'll explain later!"

"We're fighting a super-mutant here, and you expect me to remain passive?" Pyro shook his head in disbelief. "You really are crazy!"

"Let us try to corner her all at once, the three of us," Piotr suggested. "We are three against one, and should try to use that to our advantage."

Remy sighed. "Okay, but only 'cause we're running out of ideas."

The three Acolytes advanced towards Rogue, each from a different angle. If they could contain Rogue, Remy was sure he could get her back to being herself. Or at least that's what he kept telling himself.

In truth, he was panicking. Rogue had never lost control of her mutation quite like this before and with Mystique's mutation coursing through her, it seemed much easier for her to take on new personalities very quickly. She had a catalogue of personalities that were all out of control and within her reach. Absorbing Magneto had been the straw that broke the camel's back. He was too powerful a mutant to have absorbed so shortly after Mystique.

Moving forward with Piotr and Pyro, Remy had almost had Rogue surrounded. They were closing in on her fast and she had nowhere to go, Remy could almost touch her. Then poof! She was gone.

"Damn it!" Remy cursed in frustration. "She's teleporting!"

"Yeah, but to where?" Pyro asked in confusion. "She hasn't reappeared inside the building."

Remy paled. This was getting far worse than he'd imagined. "Split up," he commanded. "If she's loose in the city, we're in big trouble."

Both Piotr and Pyro realized the severity of the situation, even though Pyro had no idea what the connection with Rogue was, or why she had been in the Acolyte warehouse in the first place. But when Remy took over Piotr's usual leadership, Pyro couldn't help but obey. Remy only ever stepped in as leader when thing had gotten dire. And with Rogue acting as a rogue mutant, things had certainly become dire.

It didn't take long to find Rogue. The path of confused destruction she left behind was easier to follow than breadcrumbs. Remy was thankful for at least that. It was bad enough that Rogue had taken to the streets; it would have been much easier to contain her in the confinements of the warehouse. With her out in the open, the risk of encountering her team was much greater… and how the hell was Remy supposed to explain what was going on if that happened?

As if he hadn't had enough stress and pressure from the current situation, Remy still had to contend with their limited time frame. If Magneto came to, they were all screwed.

Remy met up with Pyro and Piotr, both had scouted out different directions still within the radius of destruction. The street they'd met on was encased in flames, everything from the wooden signs, to canopies, to trees and bushes were up in smoke.

Pyro let out a low whistle. "She uses my mutation better than I do." He sulked miserably. "Not what you'd expect from a girl who can't control her own powers."

"Shut up," Remy snapped back irritably, advancing ahead of the group.

"Is that her up there?" Piotr asked as a female figure appeared from the smoke and flames, the backlighting keeping her in silhouette.

Remy tilted his head to the side. Logically, it should have been Rogue standing there, and Rogue was shapeshifting so she could look like anyone, but something in the back of his mind told him otherwise.

"No," he answered resolutely, "that's not her."

"Then who is it?" Pyro asked, squinting his eyes for a better look.

"It's Risty," Piotr answered with a groan. "Mystique is awake." Piotr moved in front of Remy. "I will take care of this, you find Rogue."

"Wait!" Remy replied sharply, grabbing Piotr back. "Why is she in Risty's form instead of her true one? Something doesn't seem right."

"You think it is Rogue?" Piotr asked.

"Um, I can confirm that it's not," Pyro interrupted, urgently tapping Remy shoulder. "She's right behind us, and she looks mad."

Remy quickly spun on his heels to face his girlfriend. "Rogue," he called. "I really need you to be you right about now. Remember who you are!"

Her body rippled and she shifted this time into Jean.

"Oh shit." Pyro cursed in fear. "Not her."

"Duck!' Remy shouted as object dipped in flames flew at them from every direction.

"You two get Rogue," Piotr shouted above the commotion. "I am going after Mystique."

Remy gave a brief nod. "Be careful."

"Likewise," Piotr answered firmly before he ran towards Mystique.

Remy continued to try to communicate with Rogue while Pyro did his best to hold off the various objects that came their way. A sharp scream pierced the sky and Remy glanced in Piotr's direction. Mystique was down and Piotr was heading towards them to regroup. It felt wrong to Remy; Mystique shouldn't have gone down that fast. Something was very wrong about this whole situation, but Remy couldn't place his finger on it.

Normally, when his instincts told him to abandon a scene, Remy would, but this time he had to get Rogue back and could not abandon her. The three Acolytes resorted back to defensive tactics, aiming their mutations to disable, rather than harm.

They were making progress—finally, and Remy saw his goal in sight as the signs of fatigue were beginning to show on Rogue.

"Chere," he called again, "c'mon girl, remember!"

Something flickered briefly in her eyes and she frowned at him in recognition for the barest of seconds. Remy had started to get through to her. He stepped towards her as calmly as he could, so as not to frighten her, when a force of pure fury came from out of nowhere and knocked him violently to the ground.

The weight of the man crushed Remy into the pavement in an unbelievably difficult hold to escape… one that was oddly familiar and definitely less feminine than when he'd been placed in the hold before by Rogue.

"Wait!" Remy shouted, "This is not what it looks like!"

"Save it, Bub," Wolverine snarled in his face.

Rogue's team had arrived on the scene and Remy knew all to well that he, Piotr, and Pyro had been set up to look like the bad guys. Xavier's team had happened upon the fight with Mystique in Risty's form unconscious on the ground, and the three Acolytes fighting with Rogue—who was on the verge of exhaustion. It did not paint the Acolytes in the best light.

"Logan!" Scott called, kneeling by Risty's body. "She's unconscious! She phoned us just in time, it seems."

"No!" Remy struggled to get out from Logan's hold. It was useless unless he charged the man's clothing—which would not help Remy prove his innocence at all. The best he could do was see how Piotr and Pyro were doing, and it was not well. With Xavier's full team on site, Pyro and Piotr didn't stand a chance, especially with Piotr still fighting defensively.

"Pyro, a barrier!" Piotr instructed and before Remy's eyes, Pyro had lit the street up with a fiery wall, separating the Acolytes from Xavier's students. Colossus leapt forward, using his strength to not only pull Wolverine from off of Remy, but fling him over the fiery wall as well. He held out a big, metal hand for Remy to grasp. "Come, Remy, no one here will believe anything we say. Mystique took advantage of this situation and right now we look like the guilty party."

"But, Rogue…" Remy rasped, being pulled to his feet.

"Xavier is here and tending to her," Piotr answered. "He can do more for her than we can."

"I can't hold this barrier much longer, mates!" Pyro shouted. "So make a decision quickly."

"Retreat," Remy ordered in despair. "We retreat."

Even Pyro looked solemn as the three Acolytes made their hasty—and cowardly exit. With Rogue in so much distress, no one from her team had bothered to come after them. Her condition had deteriorated rapidly upon the arrival of Xavier, and the girl lay unconscious in his arms.

The Acolytes went back to the warehouse with much caution. None of them was entirely sure if Magneto had woken up yet, and none of them was particularly fond of facing his wraith if he was. Fortunately, for the young Acolytes, Magneto was still out cold.

Pyro nudged their leader's limp body with his foot. "She really did a number on him, didn't she?"

"Yes," Piotr answered grimly, "I only hope that she will be okay. This is all my fault."

Pyro gave him a questioning look. "What do you mean by that?"

"Is it okay if I tell him, Remy?" Piotr asked. When Remy didn't answer, Piotr frowned and looked around the empty warehouse. "Remy?"

"He's gone," Pyro breathed, turning round wildly. "What the hell?"

"He must have gone to Rogue," Piotr answered thoughtfully. "I imagine that he must be pretty worried about her."

Pyro wrinkled his nose. "What for? That sheila's always been able to care of herself."

* * *

Logan paused in the doorway briefly before disturbing Professor Xavier. "Scott and Jean just got back from taking Risty to the hospital."

Charles Xavier looked up at him from Rogue's bedside. "I imagine that Risty will be okay." It wasn't even a question.

Logan wrinkled his brow. "Yeah, mild concussion. What do you think happened out there, Charles?"

"I'm not sure. I have some general hypothesizes, but—"

"Couldn't you find out from Rogue?" Logan asked expectantly. "She was there, she—"

"She's had a complete mental deterioration, Logan. Something triggered a resurge in her mutation and she lost control. With so many personalities trapped in her mind right now, I dare say what would happen to her sanity if I added one more."

What Logan heard was that the Professor wouldn't try to go inside Rogue's head at this time and fix the problem. If Charles was wary about conducting the procedure to help stabilize Rogue, Logan knew that the situation was bad and that the girl was in danger.

"Will she be okay?" Logan asked with a hoarse whisper.

"It's too early to know for sure," Charles answered softly. "I imagine that Rogue and Risty were ambushed unexpectedly by the Acolytes. Rogue has never been directly responsible for keeping a human life safe, and I believe she pushed her powers over the limit to keep Risty from harm. The two girls have been friends for a while now so Rogue would feel the intense need to keep Risty from harm. I'm afraid Rogue has suffered from severe mental strain and exhaustion from such a task."

Logan heaved a great sigh and pulled up a chair. He sat down beside Charles and gazed sadly as his prized student. "It is the only explanation that makes any sense," Logan began hesitantly after a few silent minutes.

"But?" Charles inquired, reading Logan all too well.

Logan scratched the back of his neck as though something playing in his mind had seeped out to agitate the skin. "It's just a feeling I got while we were there, Charles," Logan admitted quietly. "Something just didn't smell right. Something seemed off."

"Yes, I certainly felt that too," Charles replied thoughtfully. "It doesn't make sense to me why Erik would send three of his Acolytes after one of my mutants and her human friend."

"Maybe to send a message about mutant-human interaction?" Logan offered feebly.

"Usually I feel Erik's presence fringing on the sidelines during his battles. This time I did not. It's as if he wasn't aware that such a fight was going on."

"Logan smirked dryly. "Usually I can feel his presence in my bones."

Charles returned the smirk. "Yes, I imagine you would with all that adamantium calling to him."

"But you're right. I didn't feel him either. You thinking mutiny?"

"Things will be very dangerous if it is. Without Erik keeping the reigns on those young men, I fear things will escalate. It does not bode well when they are essentially hunting in a pack like that, deliberately calling the odds in their favour."

Logan gave a soft chuckle. "At least Rogue had given them a run for their money. All three of those damn Acolytes looked pretty distraught and worn down by the time we arrived. All took off like little chicken shits too, when they were outnumbered."

"Yes, that also concerns me," Charles mused aloud. "Why go through such lengths just to antagonize one girl? And why couldn't the three of them take her down?"

"It's obvious, Charles," Logan replied bluntly. "The girl has a whole cartel of mutations she called up at will. With that kind of arsenal, she could best anybody."

"You must have noticed as well that none of the Acolytes were fighting aggressively. All were using defensive tactics."

A revelation hit Logan and his eyes widened in disbelief. "They wanted her intact, conscious and unharmed for something."

Xavier gave a grim nod. "It certainly appears that way."

* * *

Remy kept a safe distance from the mansion. It was risky to be on the Institute's grounds when the psychics and Logan were present, but Remy's heart overruled his mind. Rogue was in bad shape and Remy wouldn't rest or find any ease until he saw with his own eyes that she would be alright.

In his favour, the commotion Xavier's team had stumbled on earlier kept the minds and eyes of the mansion distracted enough that Remy could search the grounds for the perfect look out. He'd perched himself against the black of night in a large tree located outside the room Rogue was in.

It wasn't her bedroom, which would help him avoid detection from Kitty, but it meant that her condition was serious. From his post, Remy could see both Logan and Professor Xavier at Rogue's bedside. He'd never get close enough to see her than from this tree, and doubted that they'd leave her alone at night.

Concern and worry were etched deeply into both of the men's faces and as much as Remy wanted to be in there with her, he knew she was in good hands. She was with her family, and they would do everything in their power to return her to her normal state. It still didn't quell the ache in Remy's chest. He was just as much her family and part of her life as they were; yet he was confined to watching her in secret and from the shadows.

She appeared to be in a peaceful slumber, and Remy wondered if she was actually unconscious. Lately, he had noticed that Rogue very rarely had a sound sleep. Remy didn't know if Professor Xavier had gone into Rogue's mind or not. He wasn't sure what type of facial reaction he was supposed to expect from the man who always seemed to know more about everything than he actually let on.

Remy decided that the Professor had not discovered that he and Rogue were dating, and it was partly from his ability to read lips. The Professor wasn't facing the window, but Logan was and every so often, Remy would get a clear view of Logan's face and read the words that fell from his lips.

Satisfied, and disappointed, that his name hadn't been brought up, Remy continued his vigil. He had very mixed feelings about remaining elusive. On one hand, if their relationship were discovered, Remy would have the opportunity to explain himself and maybe even sit at Rogue's bedside. On the other hand, Remy was very well liable to get lynched. Neither he nor Rogue had ever been able to discern the reaction her friends and family would give upon learning about their secret love affair.

It scared Remy that even now while Rogue lay injured, he couldn't just go up to the mansion door and confess everything. It made him feel cowardly and weak, but at the same time, it made him desperate to keep what was his and hang on to Rogue in whatever way he could.

A snapped twig behind him diverted his attention and his eyes darted warily in the direction of the sound. From out of the shadows, Remy saw two figures cautiously approach.

"Remy?" Piotr's voice whispered apprehensively from the dark. "Are you over here?"

Remy relaxed and called back in a hushed voice, "Up here."

"I can't see a damn thing," Pyro muttered. "Mr. Tin Man here won't let me light anything."

"It would give away our position," Piotr argued practically, but quietly. "And that is not what we came here for."

"What are you here for?" Remy asked. He hadn't expected Piotr, and especially Pyro, to show up on the Institute's grounds.

"To check up on the sheila, of course," Pyro answered in a matter-of-fact way before he clumsily began to climb the tree.

It was the stupidest and most comforting gesture Remy had ever been offered as Piotr and Pyro wedged themselves up in the tree's branches with him. Pyro passed him a thermos of hot coffee, and the three stared forlornly at Rogue's window, waiting for any sign that she would be okay.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Thanks to everyone who reviewed and enjoyed this chapter and the last one. With the Christmas season fast approaching, my spare time is becoming quite limited and updates will be coming a bit longer than usual. I was hoping to finish this story by Christmas but it doesn't look like that will be happening. I will also be responding less to reviews. I would like to thank everyone in advance, you have not been forgotten and I love hearing from you!_


	15. Chapter 15

It had been two days since that night. Two days of sitting up in that tree, looking in on his girlfriend from the outside. Remy was filled with an indescribable anguish, yet the courage he craved to knock on the mansion's door and make himself known had continued to elude him.

Logan hadn't left her side. It hurt Remy to see another man at Rogue's bedside in his place. Still, she was being well cared for, and both Logan and Professor Xavier had a world of experience in these types of situations that Remy didn't have.

While Logan remained a statue posted at Rogue's bedside, Xavier came and went throughout the days. He was starting up the psychic sessions a little at a time, gently probing Rogue's mind for the cause and solution of her current state. It filled Remy with equal measures of hope and dread. There were even a few guilty times where Remy wanted to bolt from his hiding place and run straight back to the Acolyte's warehouse where Piotr and Pyro stayed, scared of the truth he'd been hiding for so long.

Piotr had wanted to accompany Remy, but it had become imperative that he and Pyro stay behind. They had to. Little choice was left with Magneto awake and surlier than ever. They had been lucky that Magneto hadn't figured out how deep the treachery within his ranks ran. He had assumed that Creed had long abandoned the Acolytes and that his departure had given Xavier a chance to infiltrate the Acolytes by posing Rogue as Creed.

Not once did it occur to Magneto that Remy, Piotr, or Pyro were the root of the betrayal. And that was good, in a sense, seeing as they hadn't been able to discover the whereabouts of Piotr's family yet. It did put Rogue in unnecessary danger, and that worried Remy. But Magneto had yet to make good on that threat. Pyro had even gone so far as to suggest that Magneto would probably forget the whole thing in few days anyway.

Piotr and Pyro kept a close watch on Magneto while Remy slipped from the warehouse every night to watch over Rogue. The passing days had taken their toll on Remy. Worry, guilt, and anxiety ate away at him. He was getting careless in his post, and knew that eventually if he kept this up, his presence on the mansion`s grounds would be detected. Still, he could not leave Rogue's window. He couldn't bear to not be there when she woke up.

It was certainly easier to remain undetected without Pyro and Piotr with him, and as much as he enjoyed their company, it was safer to be by himself. A foolish heart had him wishing that just once Logan would leave Rogue's side so that he could enter her room and sit with her, even for a few seconds. He'd be caught for sure then. His scent would be all over her by the time Logan returned. No, he shook his head softly, trying to keep his thoughts straight. Much safer to be out here.

Remy tilted his head curiously as Professor Xavier entered Rogue's room and parked his chair at the head of her bed. It looked like the Professor was about to try and reach Rogue through a psychic link again.

Inside and unaware of the lurker from the tree tops outside, Logan paced the room quietly while Charles attempted to reach Rogue again. Not wanting to be a negative influence or a naysayer, Logan kept his opinions to himself. He'd been present for every attempt the Professor had made to psychically reach the girl, and so far, all of Xavier's attempts had failed.

He didn't want to think about the possible failure of this next session. In truth, Logan held himself responsible for Rogue's current state. He should have been more aware, he should have prepared her better for something like this, and he should have been able to help her. Instead, he had failed her, and was helpless to do anything for her but keep a close watch at her bedside.

Logan was a man who did not take defeat or failure very well, especially when it involved keeping one of his young charges safe. And it just had to be her. His Rogue. The rather aloof, yet tough girl who hid her warmer side almost as well as he hid his own. It was no surprise that she was special to him—heck, most times she reminded him of himself when he was a lot younger and a lot cooler.

She was almost a spitting image of the teenager he had been, except for the obvious gender differences and difference in mutation, and maybe a little more on the shy side than he had been. Despite himself, he had taken quite quickly to the girl and took a special interest in helping her through the difficulties surrounding her mutation. The last thing Logan wanted was for her to have to make the same unpleasant and often foolish mistakes he had made in his life.

Logan heaved a disappointed sigh as Charles pulled away from Rogue and softly shook his head, indicating to Logan that his attempts to reach her had failed again. Fists balled in tight anger, he did his best to control his frustration.

"C'mon, Stripes," he whispered, "you can do this. You can come back to us."

"She's exhausted, Logan," Charles began softly. "We mustn't push her and we must tread carefully."

Logan's fist slammed angrily into the nearby dresser. It felt good to unleash a little pent up anger. "I know, but—" Logan stopped sharply, his eyes darting up fiercely from Rogue as he caught _his_ scent. He sniffed again to be sure, although his nose was hardly ever wrong. He knew that damn Cajun's scent and he knew he was close. He stalked towards the window and growled, "Gambit."

Xavier didn't look the least bit alarmed or shocked by Logan's sudden detection of the Acolyte. Instead, he merely steepled his fingers and replied, "Yes, Logan, I know. He's been out there for some time now." He shifted his head slightly towards the window and the darkened tree branches outside, indicating the position of the young man who hid on the mansion's grounds.

Logan glanced sideways out the window to have a look. Sure enough, a pair of red eyes glowed dimly in the night amongst the leaves and branches of the old tree a few meters away from Rogue's window. Logan was ready to skulk outside and wring the offending little bastard's neck when Charles spoke again, "I imagine it's about time we invited him in."

Had the old man completely lost his mind? "Let him in?" Logan repeated, just to be sure he had heard the Professor correctly.

Xavier was already wheeling his chair towards the window as the pair of red eyes watched warily from outside. "Yes," Xavier answered in a far away voice, unlocking the window's latch. "I had suspected… mind you, just not him. Of course, it all makes sense now."

Logan curled his lip and frowned in confusion. "Suspected _what_ exactly?"

But Xavier was too busy opening the window and calling out to the mutant hiding in the trees.

"I would imagine that you'd much rather see her from in here, rather than from out there." There was no movement in the tree except for the red, shining eyes narrowing in suspicion. Charles continued his pleasant invitation, "You are more than welcome to come in… Gambit."

Logan watched, a little bemused, as the shape in the tree shifted rather uncomfortably at being addressed by his name. Gambit seemed to be weighing out the consequences of speaking and making himself known.

Finally, after a long pause, Gambit answered back, "How did you know I was out here tonight?"

Xavier waved his hand almost flippantly. "You've been out there every night since she's been in here," Xavier answered.

Logan straightened up in alarm. He hadn't been aware of that. Hadn't detected the kid at all, but now Xavier was revealing that he had known. Why hadn't the man mentioned anything to him?

"Logan just happened to pick up your scent tonight," Xavier continued on. "The wind changed direction, I suspect."

Gambit seemed to ponder the situation before speaking out again. "How do I know he won't slice me?" Gambit asked, making an obvious reference to Logan.

Xavier gave a small chuckle. "Because if he was going to, he'd have already done it by now."

"His claws are out," Gambit retorted back.

Xavier turned and waved an impatient hand towards Logan. "Please, old friend," Xavier said, speaking directly now to Logan, "we don't want to scare him off."

"We don't?" Logan answered skeptically, but followed Charles`s request anyway and sheathed his claws. Xavier ignored his question and turned his attention back to the window and the Acolyte within the tree branches.

"I have to admit, Gambit," Charles called out pleasantly, "I wasn't expecting it to be you—"

"Excusez-moi?" Gambit interrupted with a degree of shock.

"—but you've been up in that tree vigilantly, every night, waiting for Rogue to wake up. At first, I wasn't entirely sure whether or not you were just spying for Magneto, but for three nights now you've shown up to watch her. It's a little extreme…" Charles smiled and paused, "even for Erik."

"Will Rogue be alright?" Gambit asked hesitantly. "Has there been any slight improvement?"

"Why don't you come in and see for yourself," Xavier answered. "I promise we will give you some privacy."

"Charles…" Logan growled lowly.

"It's alright, Logan," Xavier reassured and then teased, "I'm surprised that you haven't quite caught on yet, old friend."

Logan folded his arms across his chest in displeasure. He absolutely hated when Xavier withheld information and waited for him to play catch up.

When Xavier realized that Logan wasn't even going to try to guess what was going on, he sighed and gave in. "He's quite smitten with our Rogue. In love with her, I'd say."

"What?" Logan snapped loudly in alarm and the figure in the tree shrank back cautiously into the shadows.

Xavier patted Logan's arm. "I had suspected for awhile now that Rogue had started seeing a boy. It was a logical assumption, considering that she abruptly cancelled our psychic sessions without warning."

Logan raised his eyebrows in disbelief. It had been months ago that Rogue had stopped her sessions with the Professor. Not once had Logan suspected that Rogue had a boyfriend. _Boyfriend_. The word left a bad taste in Logan's mouth.

Xavier gave him a sympathetic expression. "Every girl reaches an age where she wants her thoughts kept to herself, especially when those thoughts start turning to the opposite sex. But in discovering her boyfriend's identity, I see now that she had other motives for keeping her mind closed to us."

"So you knew all along?" Gambit asked with a slight ring of accusation to his voice.

"Although I suspected she had a boyfriend, I had no inkling as to who it was," the Professor replied back. "I certainly wasn't aware that it was you she was sneaking out to see, but now that you've revealed that much just by your questions and actions tonight, a lot of things regarding her recent behavior makes a lot more sense."

Remy remained silent in the tree, almost guiltily as the Professor's words hung heavily on him. He glanced quickly at Logan. The man looked just about ready to kill him, and despite the Professor's assurances, Remy wasn't entirely sure it was all that safe to be in the same room with Wolverine right now. Charles Xavier might have known some of what was going on, but it was clear that Logan had been kept in the dark the whole time by not only Rogue, but the Professor as well. And it was obvious that Logan wasn't particularly happy about these revelations.

"I think she's been waiting for you," Xavier called out to him gently. "Do you want to know something interesting, something that gives me hope about her recovery?"

Remy's ears perked up in anticipation and he leaned forward, letting his head dip from the shadows of the leaves.

"Do you know that out of all the personalities Rogue has absorbed, friend or foe, only one hasn't tried to take over or manifest itself?"

"Non," Remy choked out, already knowing the Professor was speaking about him.

"It's yours." Xavier answered simply. "She's kept you tucked away safely all along. I know you think that her losing control is your fault—"

"It is!" Remy objected urgently, letting the words tumble out carelessly. "I knew she was losing control. I saw her change and black out right before my eyes more than once, and I—we were too scared to reveal our relationship and get her the proper help."

"No, Gambit," Xavier answered. "Although that did play a part, ultimately your relationship has kept her mutation in check all these months without my psychic sessions. She's been working very hard at keeping you a secret and has everything about you, and the two of you, locked up tightly within her mind. Because of that, she has built excellent mental barriers and has phenomenal amounts of control and concentration."

"But she still lost control," Remy replied weakly.

"Yes, but she has the tools to recover and rebuild from this. If she applied the same level of control and willpower that she used to keep your relationship locked away, I am confident that she can gain a greater ability in controlling her mutation. She lost control because something happened that was too big for her to handle by herself—_too big for both of you to handle_."

Remy knew by the tone in the Professor's voice that this was Remy's opportunity to come clean without judgment or punishment, regardless of the silent rage he was picking up from Logan. Charles Xavier was offering him a chance to tell his side of things, to offer explanations, and more importantly, giving him the opportunity to see Rogue and sit by her bedside. Charles Xavier was giving him a chance to be in the place where he should have been all along. He would be an utter fool not to accept the invitation.

"Okay," Remy breathed, sounding more unsure than he had wanted, "I'll come inside, but I'll use the window, if you don't mind."

Charles chuckled again, and it was a warm and amusing sound. "Of course, Gambit, whatever you would like."

"It's not 'cause I'm worried about the rest of them," Remy lied. He was in fact very worried about encountering Rogue's teammates right now, but hell would freeze over first before he admitted that.

Remy made short time scaling the building and slipping effortlessly into the open window where the Professor and Logan waited for him. He moved fast, and not entirely because he wanted to see Rogue, but because he only had so much nerve left this evening. He still had to quell his desire to high-tail it out of this place, even though the professor had given him no reason to. He supposed that it was just hardwired into his brain after being an enemy to Xavier's team for so long.

As promised, Charles allowed Remy some alone time with Rogue and left the room, taking a very miffed and surly Logan with him. "Take as much time as you would like," the Professor said before leaving. "We will talk when you are finished."

Remy took up the chair that had previously been Logan's and slipped his hand around Rogue's. He wasn't sure what he should say, or could say; his mouth had quickly gone dry and parched for words. She would know he was there, if she didn't already. Her face had already taken on a peaceful, calmer look—content to be exact, and Remy relaxed his posture. It felt good just to be near her again and to be actually welcomed, at least for the time being, in her home.

Outside the room in the hallway, Logan leaned against the wall. It was his best defense against pacing the corridor like a distraught parent. Naturally, he had some severe objections to leaving Rogue alone with Gambit. Dating or not, the guy still played for the other team.

"You don't think he'll take off, do you?" Logan asked dubiously, still unsure of all the far-fetched information he'd received about Rogue's—shudder—love life.

"No," Xavier answered. "He wants to be here. He wouldn't dare do anything to jeopardize being with her."

"What makes you so sure, Charles?"

"Honestly, Logan. Any fool can see it, not only in his eyes, but in the way he talks and the way he acts. I don't even have to be a mind reader to see it."

"Yeah," Logan sighed, the Professor's words ringing true. "I guess I'm just not all that comfortable with all of this."

"Would you have been more comfortable if it was someone else she was with?"

It was a legitimate question, but Logan flashed a barbaric smile before answering, "Naw, I'd want to fillet any boy with those intentions towards her."

Charles shook his head with a grin. "Spoken like true family."

Just then, the door to Rogue's room creaked open and Gambit's head peeked out into the hallway. Both Logan and Xavier noted how young the Acolyte looked and just how deeply he was being affected by Rogue's condition.

"I'm ready to talk now," Gambit spoke quietly, "but I won't be leaving her side and I`ll choose what I do and don`t want to answer."

It was then that Logan could smile a genuine smile. The little swamp rat was actually making demands to the two men that could destroy him physically and mentally. It earned the damn kid some points in Logan`s books.

* * *

**Author`s Note:** _Thanks everyone for your patience! It`s been a long wait and I apologize. I hope all those celebrating Christmas and other festivities had a wonderful time, I know I did!_


	16. Chapter 16

Remy had never been one to divulge too much information, especially to people he was wary of, but Professor Xavier and Logan didn't press, bully, or badger him into giving more information than he was willing to give. It was a completely different set of tactics than what he was used to with Magneto.

Luckily, neither of the men questioned his personal involvement with Rogue. Firstly, it was none of their business, and secondly, Remy really didn't want to have to uncomfortably explain or dodge certain questions. He wasn't too sure how the two men perceived him. Usually he was really good at gauging what people were thinking, but in this particular case, he had no idea. He chalked it up to his nerves.

To him, the present situation was all kinds of uncomfortable. He had never intended to meet Rogue's family under these sorts of circumstances. He certainly had not intended to have his relationship with her revealed without her having any say in it. He wondered how Rogue would react to that little gem of news when she woke up. He also wondered what the consequences of this revelation would bring.

Still, he did his best to be polite and respectful. This was after all, the first real impression he was giving these men as to who he really was, and if he wanted to continue to date Rogue trouble free, winning them over would be beneficial.

He started with the most obvious place to begin—Rogue's current state and how she got there. He told Xavier all about the fight with Creed and how Rogue had taken on the vile man's persona. He told about the time in his room that she had briefly shifted into Jean, although he omitted quite a few details from that incident. No one needed to know where they were and what they were doing when that had happened.

He was hesitant to tell about her troubled sleep since it would reveal that she had spent nights with him. But in the end, he decided that it was too important of a detail to omit. He hoped that the nature of her mutation would keep the two men from suspecting what he and Rogue really did with most of their nights together. Again, he was thankful that no one questioned him on that.

When he finished talking about the gradual shift in Rogue's mutation that he had witnessed; he sat quietly, expectantly, waiting for a response. He wasn't too sure whether or not he should tell Professor Xavier everything from Piotr's plight, to Mystique, to Magneto's plans. He didn't want to be the stool pigeon, but he didn't want to appear as shifty either. The stigma of Acolyte was already tied to his name, and it was a miracle that these men were even taking everything he said into account and as the truth in the first place.

Professor Xavier steepled his hands thoughtfully before he spoke. "Thank you, Gambit. You have certainly helped fill up plenty of holes, but it seems that you are omitting something very important."

"Like what the hell happened on the streets two days ago with Rogue and Risty," Logan growled in addition.

Remy weighed his options. Was it safe or even a good idea to tell these men about Piotr's family? If Logan went off half-cocked without any of them knowing the location of Piotr's family first… Remy shuddered to think of the potential consequences.

"Rogue sort of agreed to help us with a situation," Remy offered weakly. "And things got out of hand."

Logan lunged forward a bit and was stopped by the slight lifting of Xavier's arm, keeping him back. "I'm afraid we need a little more information than that," the Professor began gently. "I understand that you are giving us information of your own free will, and that no one is forcing you to answer, but that night resulted in Rogue's mental deterioration and loss of control. It would be a great benefit to us to know why or at least the general circumstances."

"It started with Rogue involving herself in an Acolyte problem," Remy answered carefully, choosing his words very precisely in order to protect Piotr and his family. "We needed some very important information from Magneto and Rogue offered to absorb him in order to get it."

The Professor gave a quick glance towards Logan, who had shifted his arms across his chest and wore the same type of expression a reluctant parent would if they were told their child had done something inappropriate and but completely expected in terms of their overall disposition.

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Logan sighed and Xavier turned his attention back to Remy. They were checking Remy's story with what they knew about Rogue to make sure it was adding up.

Xavier nodded to Remy. "Go on, please."

"Um, anyway…" Remy hesitated briefly. "In order to get close enough to Magneto, Rogue had to take on a disguise. It was easy for her to do that once we discovered that her friend Risty was actually Mystique."

The look that the Professor and Logan gave each other after that bit of news startled Remy. Both men didn't seem all that surprised by that little tidbit of information. Neither of the men spoke to him, and Remy didn't hear a sound, but he was positive the two men were having a silent conversation without him. Xavier was a psychic, after all.

The best way to include himself in the conversation was to keep speaking, so Remy continued on, "She absorbed Mystique and was just fine. I—" Remy stopped, debating whether it was a good idea to reveal that he had told her not to do it. He didn't want to come off as trying to pin all the blame on Rogue, especially to Logan. "I wasn't very good at stopping her from doing it, even though I was leery about the plan in the first place," he admitted instead.

Logan rolled his eyes in exasperation. The look was a definite gesture implying that Remy's words rang true to how Rogue usually behaved.

"Of course she'd go and do something stupid like that," Logan muttered with a hint of frustration. "Doesn't take limitations into account and went and absorbed Magneto right after, didn't she?"

Remy only nodded.

"It's no different than how you would have behaved," Xavier chided softly to Logan. "She's always been impulsive, and to do something so unbelievably reckless she had to have had good cause."

"She did," Remy answered absently, thinking of Piotr's family and how worried and scared they must be.

Xavier smiled suddenly at Remy. "She got what she was looking for, but you didn't, did you?"

"I-I'm not sure I understand," Remy answered slowly.

"The information she got from Magneto doesn't apply directly to you, does it? That's why all three of you were outside her window the first night."

"Charles…" Logan spoke warily.

"The faint things I've seen in Rogue's mind that previously made no sense are becoming very clear. These boys want out, Logan, don't you see?" Xavier replied. "We weren't far off on the mutiny after all."

"We do," Remy stammered, losing his cool, "but we need to get someone's family to safety first, and if Magneto found out what we were up to and how we were involved—"

"Easy, Gambit," the Professor soothed, "the puzzle is finally coming to completion. I've seen what you are looking for in Rogue's mind. At first glance, I had merely thought that they were unpleasant memories from someone she absorbed. Now I realize exactly what it is I saw."

"You know where they are?" Remy asked with hopeful urgency, not caring how much he revealed now. If they could still get to Piotr's family without Magneto finding out…

"Yes," Xavier answered. "I know where Magneto is keeping Piotr Rasputin's family."

"Hang on, Charles," Logan interrupted, "If Magneto is holding a family hostage, that's serious business. I ain't gonna let a couple of inexperienced kids handle that kind of situation."

Remy was about to argue with Logan. He was certainly not an 'inexperienced kid', but before he could get the words out, Xavier spoke again, "Ready the Blackbird, Logan, and assemble a team. We must do this quickly and we must do this now. I fear it's only a matter of time before Erik figures out what's really going on."

"Right," Logan replied, heading towards the door.

"Piotr will need to know!" Remy cried.

"Already on it, kid," Logan answered and Remy frowned at being addressed as 'kid'.

Remy went to rise from his seat and follow Logan, but Xavier held him back.

"Not you, I'm afraid," Charles instructed with a soft tone. "You and I aren't quite finished yet."

Remy sighed. He'd be missing out on all the action, and what if they needed him? How on earth was Logan going to convince Piotr and Pyro that everything was now being handled and that it would all work out? At least, Remy thought darkly, he hoped it would all work out.

He couldn't imagine what more the Professor could want from him, but he remained in his seat with his polite persona masking his agitation and restlessness.

"You're a cagey fellow," Xavier commented.

Remy was instantly stirred up in arms. "So? I don't back out of fights easily. And I don't back out of promises easily, either." He had promised Piotr that he would do whatever he could to see that Piotr's family was safe, and now here he was, sitting at Rogue's bedside, not doing anything. He couldn't help Rogue, and sitting here made him feel utterly useless. But he could help Piotr, and he was being denied even that.

"I know that you made a promise to Piotr, but you also made promises to Rogue," Xavier answered sternly. "And right now, she needs you to make good on those promises. If I had thought you'd be better off rescuing Piotr's family, I would have let you go. If you wish to be a part of this establishment, you will need to be able to obey orders without argument and anger."

"Part of this establishment?" Remy repeated defensively. "What makes you so sure I want to be?"

"You may not want to be now, but I suspect in the future you will," Xavier answered. "Eventually you will want some sort of purpose and meaning to your life, and you've already started on the path that will lead you here. Your decision to help Piotr is only the start."

"And what if I wanted to join now?" Remy asked quietly. He hadn't given much thought to joining Xavier's team other than for Rogue's sake.

"We'd have to do a lot of cleaning up with you," the Professor answered with an amused smile. "You don't have to join just to be with Rogue, you know. There are other reasons why you should want to be here."

"If this works out, and the Acolytes are finished, I don't have anywhere else to go," Remy whispered. It was true. It was his own scary truth that he'd kept hidden for ages now. Home wasn't a place he could go back to, and left to his own devices, Remy was scared of what he might become.

"Gambit," Xavier began, still smiling, "You are eighteen. The world will always present choices. Sure, you will make some bad ones, but you'll also make some good ones. Each choice defines who we are and who we want to be. You already know who and where you want to be. You don't need to join us for that."

"I want to be with her." The words had slipped from Remy's mouth before he could draw them back.

"And that's why you are here." Xavier began to maneuver his chair towards the doorway to leave Remy alone with Rogue. "If you are worried about where to live once you are finished being an Acolyte, I have a small, unused boathouse on the mansion's grounds. You are welcome to it."

Remy wanted to ask why he couldn't just stay at the mansion. Professor Xavier had a reputation for picking up stray mutants, and wasn't Remy going to be a stray from now on?

The Professor seemed to pick up Remy's thoughts and added as an afterthought, "It'd be no good to have you in the mansion right now, not with your relationship with Rogue being what it is. I'm afraid you'd drive Logan nuts."

Remy frowned.

Xavier laughed outright at his expression. "Don't give me that confused look, Gambit. And don't think for a second that I don't know what you and Rogue have been up to. You can play her mutation card all you want to with Logan, but not to me. I'm well aware that you and Rogue have worked around that little challenge in regards to your relationship, but Logan doesn't, and I'd hate to have to have him find out right now. He's still adjusting to her having a boyfriend, let's not burden him with your sex life."

Despite himself, Remy actually blushed. He had not expected Xavier to just come out and say it, but at least it made sense now why he'd been offered the boathouse instead of a room in the mansion. And here he'd thought that no one would suspect what he and Rogue actually did together. Professor Xavier was certainly not a man easily deceived or to be trifled with, and Remy had just learned a quick lesson he wouldn't forget, not if he planned on actually joining the team someday.

The more he thought about it, the better he liked the idea of having his own place. He liked the idea of independent freedom and he liked that the boathouse would allow him and Rogue to still maintain their favourite activities without intrusion and with privacy. Although, he still suspected that Rogue would still be sneaking out at night just to see him. At least for a little while.

"Hear that, Cherie?" he asked Rogue's sleeping body. "Sounds like everything will work out just fine when you wake up."

He laced his fingers around hers and smiled when a soft smile spread across her lips. She had been able to hear him, and it was only a matter of time before she found her way back to him.

* * *

Piotr clamped a tight hand across Pyro's mouth. The guy had a habit of overreacting and although Wolverine showing up to the warehouse would normally have been cause to sound the alarm, Piotr believed that Wolverine's visit was not of a violent nature.

"Be quiet," Piotr hissed to Pyro. "We don't know why he's here, yet."

Pyro nodded and Piotr took his hand from Pyro's mouth. "Where's Remy? Why isn't Remy with him?"

"I don't know," Piotr answered thoughtfully, "but he does." He motioned towards Wolverine, who was prowling around the grounds like a burglar. Piotr was unsure whether or not the man had detected where they were hiding.

"Oh what? And you think that we should just stroll over there and ask him?" Pyro replied a little outraged.

"It might be a good thing to do," Piotr mused, stepping out from behind one of the stacks of crates they'd been hiding behind. He cautiously walked towards the door. If Wolverine was here to fight, Piotr would be attacked on site, but if not, standing out in the open would save time. And time was very valuable to Piotr these days. He turned to Pyro and spoke in a hoarse whisper, "Cover me, okay?"

Pyro narrowed his eyes into a cold glare to signify that he hated this idea and that Piotr was being needlessly foolhardy, but he obliged anyway. "You and Remy, you're both insane."

When Piotr stepped outside to face Wolverine the man on the grounds merely stopped his lurking and straightened up. "Pretty bold to approach an enemy unarmed," Logan commented.

"And it is pretty bold to snoop around Magneto's base. If I am right neither of us are bold, and neither of us are enemies."

"Very observant of you, kid." Wolverine smiled and his white teeth flashed sharply in the glinting moonlight.

It unnerved Piotr just a little. Even when trying to be friendly, Wolverine was still intimidating. "Thank you, sir," Piotr answered, deciding to show respect straight away.

Logan cocked his head. "Well, you've got more manners than the other one."

"Remy?" Piotr asked.

"If that's Gambit, then yeah," Logan answered. "Come on, kid, we've got the team assembled and we're goin' to get you your family back."

It was music to Piotr's ears. He was going to get to see his family and he was going to get them to safety. Piotr had been dreaming of this moment since he'd been blackmailed by Magneto almost a year ago.

"What about Magneto?" Pyro asked from the shadows, still leery about coming out into the open.

"That's why we're moving now," Wolverine replied. "You in or out?"

"In," Pyro agreed, stepping forward. "But don't think this makes me one of you."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Logan remarked sarcastically.

* * *

**Author's note:** _Whew! Glad I was able to get this chapter up and running! I've been a pretty busy gal these days, and although the updates are getting spaced longer, I still haven't forgotten to squeeze in some time to write and update! Thanks again for all the reviews and your patience!_


	17. Chapter 17

Piotr was tense. It was an anxious mixture of desire, fear and longing. He had agonized for almost a year as to how to get his family back, and now the day had finally arrived. He would get to see his mom, his dad, his brother; and dear, sweet Illyana. How he had longed to see their faces and hold them in his arms. Soon his private hell would be over.

He couldn't even concentrate on his surrounding or new teammates in the jet. Normally, he'd be engrossed in such things as a highly technologically advanced jet, or the cute little Shadowcat, who had taken the seat beside his, but today was all about his family. He was getting his family back and these mutants were going to help him.

Of course, he knew most of the credit belonged to Remy and to Rogue. Without their help, this moment would not have been possible and Piotr was very aware of that. It was disappointing that the two people who had cared most about him would not be able to see his joy and gratitude. He knew that Remy would have wanted to be here. The man was serious when he gave his word, and Piotr truly believed that had Rogue not been in the state she was, both would have been in the jet alongside him.

Instead, he had Pyro and Kitty. He had Storm and Wolverine, even Cyclops and Jean were aboard the jet, ready to help him without question. Piotr felt a sense a kinship from these people that had certainly been lacking in his affiliation with the Acolytes. He tossed a careless glance in Pyro's direction. The flame-haired mutant looked out of place. Piotr sighed in regret for his friend. What would Pyro do when all of this was said and done? He was no longer an Acolyte, but also not interested in Xavier's. Piotr felt sad for him. They had become unwilling friends, much like he and Remy had, but their paths in life were very different from each other's.

Piotr wanted to do good and follow the straight and narrow. He wanted to help people with his mutation, not instil fear and hatred in people. He was not a superior being like Magneto had tried to tell him. He was not like that man at all, nor did he ever want to be. That was difference between himself and his Acolyte friends. Both Remy and Pyro had felt that they were superior to humans. Remy, Piotr figured, had had a quick change of heart once he'd fallen in love with Rogue and was exposed to her way of thinking and her beliefs. It had gotten Remy questioning his own. Pyro, however, did not have that external influence, yet he was here, helping anyway. It gave Piotr a shred of hope for his friend.

"Five minutes, team," Logan's instructed, snapping Piotr to quick attention. "Storm, a little cloud cover, please."

"Gosh," Kitty breathed beside Piotr, staring out the window, "who knew Magneto had access to an island. His own island."

"His hand reaches far and wide," Piotr replied cryptically. As the plane began to descend, Piotr began to worry about how far Magneto's anger would spread when he found out about this.

* * *

Remy was the first to see those startling green eyes when they awoke from their slumber. She sat upright as though she'd just woken up from a terrible nightmare. A comparison Remy was sure was quite accurate.

"Remy?" Rogue questioned as she took in her surroundings and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

No vocal answer could replace his arms wrapping instantly around her in relief. She had woken up, and as herself, no less. His worst nightmare was coming to an end. Charles chuckled pleasantly on the other side of the bed and Rogue froze in Remy arms, recognizing Xavier's voice.

"Oh God," she breathed as she cautiously pulled away from Remy. The realization of where she was and who she was with had sunk in. "What have you done?"

"What I needed to," Remy whispered, suddenly very insecure. Had he overstepped his bounds? Was it right for him to have revealed himself to Xavier? The look in Rogue's wide, worried eyes could not give him a straight answer. "I couldn't help you all by myself. I wanted to, believe me, but I couldn't handle it. I'm sorry."

Her eyes softened. "You had the courage to come here by yourself and reveal everything."

Remy gave a mischievous shrug and whispered, "Well, not _everything_."

Professor Xavier cleared his throat loudly, indicating that maybe right now wasn't the time for a gooey reunion. "I am very pleased that you've woken up with your own conscious mind front and center," Xavier stated briefly. "But, I would like to do a quick mental analysis. If that's alright with you."

Rogue gave Remy a hesitant look, but nodded in agreement. "I guess I don't have much left to hide now anyway."

The Professor smiled gently. "Rogue, there are many places in your mind that I am not welcome, nor want to be, for that matter. You are a young woman, granted, but please remember that it is everyone's right to keep their private thoughts private. Because of what we are, these basic human needs are not always met, but I certainly try my hardest to maintain that code of ethics."

Rogue tilted her head to the side warily. "You know anyway, don't you? Without even being in my head."

"Thankfully, not the details," Xavier murmured in response.

"And you're not mad?" Rogue asked, floored. She had not expected this type of reaction when all her lies and secrets spilled out in the open.

"I understand the nature of your relationship, and as much as it hurts to know you couldn't trust us with it, I understand your immediate response to keep your budding relationship secret. After all, it's not every day that one accidentally falls for their enemy. This secret has shown me something about the team and what it's been lacking."

"And what's that?" Rogue asked. As far as she knew, Xavier had done a great job training her and the others.

"That the world isn't cut black and white," Xavier answered simply. "Yesterday's enemy isn't always an enemy tomorrow. People change, and we need to understand that better. To do that we need to act less judgementally than we have been."

"But today's friend could be an enemy tomorrow," Rogue added sombrely, pushing down the hurt that had unexpectedly risen in her chest when Xavier's words stirred a reminder of who her best friend had turned out to be.

"I am very sorry about Risty," Xavier apologized. "I won't even begin to pretend that I understand your betrayal, but please take comfort in knowing that in her own warped and twisted way, your mother loves you enough to want to keep an eye on you. You can fault her of many things, Rogue, and your heart can turn hard and as cold as stone, but she does not dictate how you choose to approach this betrayal of trust. Remember that everyone betrays someone along their life path. It is how we choose to deal with those betrayals that shape us into who we are."

"I never want to see her again," Rogue mumbled bitterly.

"You say that now out of anger and hurt, but what if I was to say the same thing about you and your betrayal?"

Rogue blanched in horror. The Professor was right; she had betrayed the confidence of her friends and her team. She had snuck around behind everyone's back with the enemy, and here the Professor was willing to forgive her. To forgive all the lies she had told. Not that her lies were anywhere near the magnitude of Mystique's, though.

"We lead by example, Rogue," the Professor continued. "And I hope that my willingness to forgive and show understanding to your actions will someday give you the courage to do the same for someone else."

"So you don't expect me to forgive her soon?"

"No, Rogue." Xavier smiled. "Only when you are ready to let go of that hurt yourself. Remember that forgiving someone isn't just for their benefit. It's for your own as well."

"So what happens now?"

"That's entirely up to you, but I would like to finish the diagnostic of your brain to figure out what areas still need mending or work."

Rogue nodded her head. "Okay, Professor. And I'm sorry I let you down."

"On the contrary, Rogue. It is I who let you down. You should have felt that you were able to confide in us. The failing is on me."

"But—"

The Professor sighed. "How about we agree that we both were wrong and work from that, shall we?"

"Okay." Rogue grinned.

Remy smiled in agreement. Rogue's conversation with Xavier applied to him as well. And for the first time in a long time, Remy didn't mind the advice or the lecture. He thought back again to how Xavier had told him that eventually he would join the team and not because of Rogue. It didn't seem so farfetched now that he had been privy to one of the Professor's lessons. It surprised him just how much he agreed with what Charles Xavier was saying. He began to wonder if he was just an impressionable sort of person. He'd quickly taken to Magneto's ideals because the man could talk the talk, and now here he was nodding in agreement with Xavier.

Remy groaned inwardly when he realized just how young and naive he still was about the world. He'd always thought that he'd had it all figured out and knew the name of the game. Now he wasn't so sure. It was a very humbling discovery to realize that he didn't know everything and that his opinions could change on a whim.

"I'd like to start up with our psychic sessions again, Rogue." The Professor's voice caught Remy's attention. "I'd also like permission to include Remy in some of the sessions."

"Why?" Rogue asked with a worried tone.

"Because he acts as a focus for you. You concentrate better when you are focused on him. I'd like to gradually tap that concentration into other areas of your psyche. I think this is a key to your progression," Xavier answered.

"You mean Remy can stay at the mansion?" Rogue asked excitedly, trying her best to downplay the emotion.

"In a manner of speaking. Since Remy will not be one of my students, he has no place in the mansion, but he has decided to take up my offer and stay on the grounds in the boathouse as long as he chooses to."

"Really? Just like that?"

"Yes, Rogue, just like that."

"No more sneaking?"

"Well, that is entirely up to you." Xavier gave a wry and wearisome smile. "Although I suspect that on occasion you'll still sneak out at night."

"Professor!" Rogue gasped with heat reaching her cheeks in embarrassment.

"You are not mine, but I am your guardian and I do keep tabs on you. Please be aware that I am much more forgiving and accepting than any of the other mentors here."

Logan. He was talking about Logan. Rogue was sure of it. "We'll keep that in mind, Professor."

"Good," Xavier replied. "Now I suggest we get you something to eat and then straighten out this messy business with Magneto."

Rogue had not realized that she was hungry until the sweet aroma of food entertained her nostrils. She ate ravenously at the dining room table while Xavier discussed Magneto and his plans with Remy. It was obvious that Remy and the other Acolytes were afraid of Magneto, even if they weren't willing to admit it out loud. Magneto was not a man that Remy had wanted to double cross and she suspected that Xavier knew full well the extent of the Acolytes unspoken fear of their leader.

"Erik can be a reasonable man, at times," Xavier was saying as Rogue gulped down a glass of milk. "He won't be happy about the liberation of Piotr's family and his hold on the young man, but he will have known that it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Piotr wants to be one of us," Rogue added. "He had made that very clear, and I think Magneto must know that."

"Yes, I agree with you on that," Xavier mused. "Erik's will is bent on control and as much as I hate to say it, once his current Acolytes are gone, it won't take him long to find new followers. Just as we acquire new mutants here, he acquires new mutants there."

"So in the long run, you're saying he won't care that we've abandoned him?" Remy asked suspiciously.

"Yes, that is what I'm saying. Magneto uses others as tools and as puppets to further his cause and his beliefs. Yes, he will be angry with your mutiny and furious that Piotr will have escaped his grasp, but he will come to realize that in order to accomplish his goals, he needs to instil loyalty in his followers. Unfortunately, he will find loyal followers who share his beliefs and ideals completely."

"But we will be there to stop him," Rogue answered defiantly.

"That's right," Xavier answered softly. "As long as there are those willing to fight for our beliefs, Magneto will have opposition, until one day we can come to an understanding and meet in the middle."

"So what exactly is the plan?" Remy asked the Professor.

"I've always felt that with Erik honesty is the best policy. He has had years of betrayals and I refuse to jeopardize any chance that we will someday return to being friends and colleagues by lying to him."

Remy went white. "Are you saying you want us to face Magneto and tell him directly what's going on?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," the Professor answered. "But, we'll wait until the opportune time for that."

Remy raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Which is?"

"When Piotr's family is safe."

* * *

Piotr owed a lot to these mutants. As he hugged his mother and little Illyana, he was ready to devote his life to being one of Xavier's students. He admired the way they worked together as a team and admired their bravery and sense of justice. Even the delicate Kitty, had shown a core of solid steel as she leapt through cold, brick stone into unknown dangers to retrieve his loved ones. He would never be able to put into words the exact moment that he came in contact with his family. The feel of his father's strong arms embracing him, or his mother tearfully spilling kisses all over his cheeks, or the way his brother ruffled his hair in admiration and pride would never escape his memory.

He had his family back. He had his family back _and_ they were okay. After being held hostage for almost a year, they looked a little ruffled around the edges, but okay. Magneto may have had them kidnapped, but because of Piotr's loyal (and fearful) service to Magneto, his family had not been mistreated. It was a huge relief to Piotr that all his past actions as an Acolyte had not been in vain and had kept his family safe from further harm.

After Wolverine ordered everyone back on the jet, Piotr could finally relax. His family was finally safe and he was finally free of Magneto's hold. But unless Magneto was taken care of, how long would Piotr and his family be safe? A life of hiding and being on the run was no life at all and Piotr wanted his family to be happy and safe at the same time.

"Ease up, mate," Pyro said, slapping a solid hand on his back. "Old Mags won't be looking to take them again."

"What makes you so sure?" Piotr asked.

"I reckon he won't want the trouble of trying to control you anymore. If you broke free to get your family once, what's to stop you from doing it again and again? Besides, it'd be much easier to recruit someone willingly."

"Like you were?" Piotr asked dangerously.

Pyro gave tight, fierce smile. "No good for me being an Acolyte now, not with you and Remy joining up with Xavier's lot. We're brothers in arms, we three, and I won't be opposing you in battle."

Piotr shifted in his seat to face Pyro. "What will you do?"

Pyro shrugged casually, trying to downplay his own uncertainty. "Don't worry about me, mate. I've got my looks to get me by."

Piotr smiled, unable to help himself. "Thank you for helping me."

"Aw, don't get all mushy on me now; I'd like to remember you as not a complete pansy."

* * *

Remy stood at ground zero, confronting Magneto. It was something he had never thought he would do in a million years. Remy's preferred method of action was to sneak around back and weasel his way out of things, not face things head on.

Magneto's fury trembled through the city, making buildings creak and groan uneasily. Remy stood his ground. It was much easier to stand up to Magneto with Charles Xavier and Rogue backing him, but he still shook on the inside. Never would he have been so bold to actually tell Magneto that he was leaving the Acolytes for good. It had gotten much worse when Magneto called for Piotr and Pyro, only to have neither of them appear and have Remy explain that they also were no longer under his employment.

It had gotten even worse when Magneto discovered that he had been outsmarted by his Acolytes and that they had orchestrated and launched the attack on him in order to retrieve the information he held on Piotr's family. Erik howled with rage as objects began to rise and aim themselves in Remy's direction. But Charles Xavier would have none of that. Remy's safety was assured.

"Look, whether you like it or not, we quit," Remy answered defiantly to Magneto's rage. "We just don't see things the way you do, and frankly, some of us never did."

"I never thought I'd ever hear such words from you of all people, Gambit," Magneto retorted sharply. "You had the most promise, what with your upbringing."

"Maybe, but I guess you could say, I had a change of heart," Remy replied.

"You will not find Xavier's suited to your personal quirks. You are not cut out for the life of a Samaritan."

"Never said I was joining Xavier's, but Piotr is, now that he's got the family you stole from him back," Remy clipped with an edge to his voice. Somehow thinking of Piotr and his family gave Remy the courage to say everything he now thought about Magneto. "I may not be cut from the same cloth as Xavier's mutants, but I know when something is despicably wrong, and I know what I don't agree with. I'm just sorry it took me this long to realize that."

Charles wheeled beside Remy, speaking up in an even, diplomatic tone. "You knew this day would come, Erik," Charles was saying as Rogue came up behind Remy to tightly hold his hand. "You knew Piotr Rasputin would eventually find a way to get his family back. And most of all, you knew it was wrong to take them in the first place. You just didn't realize that two more of your Acolytes would disagree with your tactics."

Magneto said nothing in response, but his harsh facial expression said it all. He spun angrily on his heels, his cloak sweeping violently in the wind. Rogue had expected some sort of response or fight from Magneto. Even though Magneto had left, she knew that this incident was far from over.

"We've accomplished what we set out to do," Xavier responded as he watched Magneto disappear in the sky, whisking away on his trademark metal discs.

"Are you sure everything is going to be alright now?" Remy asked. "I mean, we didn't even fight."

"Some battles are fought with _words_, Remy," Xavier replied. "Erik is not a bad man deep down, just a severely misguided one."

"I would've preferred a fight," Remy answered back. "At least we'd have been able to let some of his anger off and know where we stood."

"And risk lives?" Xavier retorted back. "You have a lot to learn yet, Remy."

Remy sighed. Okay, so maybe he didn't entirely agree with everything Professor Xavier believed in and did still believe in some of what Magneto believed in. A good fight always got anger out, and in his opinion, it was better to release such a rage than it was skulk off into the night with that emotion pooling up inside.

"There will other days for battles," Xavier said as if he had read Remy's mind. "Nothing is ever over completely. For now, let's get home and welcome the others back. Logan should be close to Bayville now."


	18. Chapter 18

The mansion buzzed with excitement and gossip the exact moment that Logan landed the Blackbird. Xavier had kept quiet about what had been slowly working itself out concerning Rogue and her association with the Acolytes. All anyone really knew was that Logan had taken a select few mutants on a rescue mission, and that for some reason Rogue and Xavier were accompanying their enemy, Gambit, to a very influential meeting.

The younger mutants wanted to know what was going on, the older ones had their speculations, and in the case of Kurt Wagner, he had gotten the details head on from Kitty before she left with Logan.

A few gasps escaped the crowd waiting for the Professor when he returned with Rogue and with Gambit, still in tow. Rogue shrugged off the murmurs that resonated throughout the fast increasing crowd when it was noticed that Gambit carried a duffel bag and few small suitcases containing his belongings.

Remy shifted uncomfortably. He had never enjoyed being a spectacle, and right now he was the center of attention—and gossip. The whispers increased when Xavier fished a key out of his coat pocket and handed it to Remy.

"That's the only key I have to the boathouse, so please don't lose it. In fact, you might want to have a copy made," Xavier said cheerfully. "I imagine you'll want to settle in as soon as possible."

If the Professor's words hadn't just caused a sir within the crowd, the remaining two Acolytes climbing from the now-landed Blackbird did. Piotr looked abnormally large amongst the crowd and kept his eyes downcast, clearly just as embarrassed and uncomfortable as Remy was with being the center of attention. Pyro, on the other hand, brazenly stared out at the crowd, standing defiantly before them with a mild curiosity etched across his face.

"All this fuss for you guys, huh?" he commented, as he and Piotr joined Remy.

"I guess so," Remy answered back.

"Kinda reminds me of our first day at Bayville High," Pyro replied scratching his head. "'Cept no dumb-ass humans are hassling Remy."

"You still think you're the cutest one here?" Remy smirked, remembering just how many phone numbers Pyro had gotten his hands on within his first week of school.

Pyro laughed his usual boisterous laugh. "Naw, not with the way that little sheila over there is making eyes at Petey."

Both Remy and Piotr turned their attention to the direction of Kitty Pryde, who quickly turned her face away from them in an effort to not look obvious. Her scarlet red face gave her away anyway. Remy raised his eyebrows. "I think she likes you, homme."

Piotr only blushed and gave Pyro a little shove. "You should not have called attention to her. Now she will never come over here."

"Aw, Petey." Rogue grinned, patting his shoulder. "You'll have plenty of time to talk to Kitty. The Professor already has a room ready for you."

"Really?" Piotr beamed. "I am part of the team?"

Rogue nodded. "Yup, the Professor is already making the arrangements with your parents."

She pointed Piotr in the direction of Xavier, and sure enough, Xavier was in deep discussion with Piotr's parents and he was soon motioned over to come and join them. Piotr's grin was as wide as ever as he made his back to his family.

"Well, I suppose I should be shoving off now," Pyro said, stretching his arms up in a rather bored gesture.

"You're not gonna stick around for a bit?" Remy asked.

"And do what?" Pyro teased. "Be good like the rest of you?"

Remy shrugged. "I could use some help moving my stuff into the boathouse."

Pyro groaned. "All these mutants standing around, trained to help out their fellow mutantkind, and you ask me for help."

"I don't trust them with my stuff," Remy reasoned.

"You don't trust me with your stuff either!" Pyro retorted, grabbing one of Remy's suitcases anyway.

Rogue lingered behind, giving Remy a quick nod that she'd catch up with him later. Right now, she wanted to find Logan. It wasn't hard to find him; he always stood apart from large crowds, choosing to keep himself a little isolated.

Approaching Logan would mean swallowing a bit of her pride. She owed him an apology; he trusted her enough to extend her curfew and to teach her things that he wouldn't dare teach the others. She owed it to him to come clean. As she got closer, Logan straightened up and gave her his usual tight smile.

"Hey, Logan," she greeted nervously.

"Glad to see you're up and around. You gave us quite a scare," Logan replied.

"Scared myself some too." She fidgeted with a lock of hair before speaking again. "Look, Logan, I just wanted to apologize to you."

"For what?" Logan asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Rogue took a deep breath. "For all the lies and sneaking around. You trusted me, and I sort of took advantage of that."

Logan studied her face carefully. "My how grown up you're becoming. I'd like to think I had some sort of hand in bringing you up to be the person you're fast becoming."

"Logan!" Rogue blushed. "You're not supposed to get all mushy on me. I really do mean it, I am sorry."

Logan unfolded his arms. "I know you are, Stripes, and I accept your apology." Logan grinned. "But your taste in boyfriends leaves something to be desired," he teased.

Rogue folded her arms in mock annoyance. "He really ain't that bad, you just don't know him yet."

The look Logan gave her implied that Logan didn't really want to get to know Remy and that was okay. Logan wasn't quite ready for that just yet. Hell, he was still getting used to the idea that she was dating. It would take some time for Logan to come around and actually want to meet Remy.

After a long silence Logan spoke up again, "I imagine he needs some help unpacking,"

"He's got Pyro—oh!" Rogue exclaimed, "I get it, hint taken." She smiled sheepishly, realizing that it was Logan's way of ending a conversation that might get more emotional than he was comfortable with. "I guess I'll, uh, talk to ya later!" she called as she hurried away towards the boathouse.

A figure standing near the mansion's front gates caught Rogue's attention before she made it very far. She was already withdrawn from Logan and the others and in all the commotion no one had noticed the form of Risty lingering around in the background. No one would notice Rogue heading off towards her mother either, and before Rogue gave herself time to think her actions through, she walked towards Mystique.

"Rogue," Mystique started with what might have sounded apologetic on another person.

"What are you doing here, Mystique?" Rogue asked, crossing her arms coldly, "You're not welcome here."

"I-I came to see you, of course." Mystique cast her eyes downward. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Rogue scoffed in disbelief. "No you didn't. You don't give a damn about me at all. You came here wanting to make sure my precious powers were being controlled again. I'm not really any use to your grand design as crazy and uncontrollable, am I?"

"That's not true," Mystique pleaded almost desperately. "You are my daughter, and I was worried—"

"And what about your son?" Rogue interrupted viciously. "Do you ever worry about Kurt, your own flesh and blood? Or was his mutation just not good enough for you?"

Mystique's eyes widened in shock. "How did you—"

"We've always known," Rogue answered curtly. "I absorbed you before on that spelunking trip from school, remember? That was when I left you and your Brotherhood. Coincidentally, it's the reason you had to become Risty."

"Rogue, I can explain—"

"I don't need you to explain!" Rogue shouted, losing her cool. "I don't want you in my life, don't you get it? Nothing you can say will ever make me want to be your daughter again!"

"Rogue!"

"Find another mutation to nurture, because you're not getting mine. I don't care if I am the key to ultimate power for you. I'll die first!" With that, Rogue spun on her heels and stalked back in the direction of the boathouse. "Don't come for me again, Mystique, or you will regret it."

Rogue refused to turn around and give her mother a second glance. Maybe someday she'd forgive Mystique like the Professor had suggested, but Rogue had seen enough ugliness from that woman's mind that right now there was no point. There was no point in making amends to a woman who wanted her mutation for the sole purpose of personal gain and power. Right now, Mystique deserved to suffer and have to think about how her ambitions had ruined her relationships with her own children.

Rogue would deal with the consequences of her own actions. She'd deal with the anger and the betrayal. She'd use it. Logan would show her how, and someday, someday she'd be able to use this to her advantage and have something gained through the pain. This was her journey and this moment would guide her through her life.

Straightening her shoulders and walking tall, Rogue resolved then and there that she would never become her mother. In one single conversation with that woman, she had learned the value of the truth better than any lecture Xavier would ever give her. _We learn by example._ That was what the Professor had always said. Had always told her. Now she fully understood it. After seeing Mystique, Rogue knew she'd never sneak or tell lies frivolously again. The impact of someone's motivations fell heavily on others and Rogue could see that now. She had been forgiven by Logan and Xavier for the things she had done, but the point was well driven home when she acknowledged her feelings towards all of Mystique's selfish lies. Her lies had been no different than her mother's. Just as selfish, just as self-serving.

"I'm going to do my best," she said aloud to herself. "I'm taking this and moving forward."

By the time she reached the boathouse, Pyro had already left and Remy stood by himself at the edge of the dock, staring out at the water. Rogue came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his sturdy back.

"I was hoping he would have stayed longer." Remy's voice cracked the silence. "But I knew he wouldn't." He gave a surprised half laugh. "I almost offered to let him crash with me for awhile."

"You'd have kicked him out within the week," Rogue commented. "You hated living with him."

"You're right." Remy sighed. "But strangely enough, I am going to miss him."

"Did Pyro say where he was going?"

"Yeah," Remy said, turning around to face her. "He said he was going home."

"What?" Rogue exclaimed. "Like home as is Australia?"

Remy shrugged. "I guess so, that's where his home was."

"Do you think you'll hear from him again?"

Remy stretched his arms wide with a lazy smile. "Nah, we were never that close." He grabbed her hand within his. "Come on, I want to show you our place."

"Our place?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah." He smiled. "I mean, it's my place right now, but once you've graduated and turn eighteen, you'll be an adult and have no need for Xavier's guardianship. Plus, with all the new mutants coming out of the woodwork, Xavier's gonna need all the spare room he can get in that mansion."

Rogue smiled. "Why Remy, I do believe you are starting to plan out our future."

"Is that bad?" His eyes met hers with soft, worried look.

"No." She grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's perfect!"


	19. Epilogue

_Two years later_

Giddy anticipation filled the air as the students, alumni and mentors positioned themselves in front of the camera. It was end of another school year and Xavier wanted to commemorate the moment and take a group photo before some of his mutants went their separate ways. Of course some would stay on board and remain at the mansion, aiding Xavier in his quest to achieve peace between the humans and the mutants, while others would venture out into the world on their own, taking his teachings and beliefs with them.

Now more than ever the world needed hope. Hope that two very similar but distinctly different species could co-exist. A common threat had gained Charles back his former friend and ally, Erik. And while the rest of the staff was still getting used to the idea that Magneto would join forces with Xavier, some fell easily into this idea— namely, Magneto's former Acolytes, Remy and Piotr.

"Quit fussing with it!" Remy hissed to Rogue as she was roughly smoothing out his hair and fixing his collar before Jean snapped the picture.

"You knew we were doing this today, and you didn't even bother to clean yourself up!" Rogue countered back.

"I just got back from my mission!" Remy argued back quietly. "Someone had to spy on Senator Kelly's meeting."

"Well," she scolded in return, "someone didn't have to tumble off a roof top and into the bushes bellow."

"Yeah, well..." he faltered.

Kitty giggled, turning to face the two. "It really wasn't his fault, Rogue. You know he gets queasy when we have to phase out."

Remy shuddered. He hated missions that involved Kitty's mutation. He had a deep, unrelenting fear of being caught in between solid objects. Only once Kitty had given him real cause to fear her mutation. And once had certainly been enough.

Whenever Kitty was at her fluffiest and flightiest, Remy always seemed to be unwillingly partnered with her. On his first encounter with Kitty, she had accidentally gotten him stuck in between two rooms. Then she had gotten nervous and freaked out, unable to concentrate to get him out.

Eventually, Kurt had had to try and teleport him out of the predicament, which only caused for a rough teleport since Kurt had focused a little too much energy on it, overcompensating for the weight of the wall Remy was stuck in. Remy had promptly thrown up after that particular experience. Since then, everyone assumed Remy had a weak stomach for phasing and teleporting. He was the source of constant jabs and ridicule after that.

"Everybody smile!" Jean shouted exuberantly, readying herself for the camera. The camera button clicked and the flash went off, immortalizing the group forever on film. With a slight wave of her wrist the camera floated towards Jean and she frowned, scrunching her nose while inspecting the picture. "We'd better take another for good measure."

Once Jean was satisfied with her photo—about four or five tries later, everyone broke apart. Some gave hugs and said their goodbyes while others cried, promising to write and keep in touch. Rogue kept close to Remy as they waved goodbye and gave hugs and handshakes to their friends. Kitty burst into tears, wailing into Remy's shoulder, stating just how much she was going to miss them when she arrived at college.

"It's not like you aren't coming back," Remy answered as he gently tried to pry the girl off of him. "And it won't be all that bad. Piotr's going to be with you."

"And you'll visit us on holidays, and we'll come and see you," Rogue added earnestly.

"I know," Kitty sniffed dejectedly. "But everything is going to be so different now!" At that moment, Logan made the mistake of walking by and Kitty leapt for him, bursting into tears all over again. "Waaaaahhhh!" she wailed, "Looogannnnnnn!"

Like a deer in headlights, Logan froze before gingerly trying to give the girl clutching him a soft, reassuring hug. Carefully, Remy grabbed Rogue's hand and they snuck away, lest Kitty turn her waterworks back in their direction. They met up with Piotr and Rogue hugged him tightly.

"Take good care of her for me," Rogue said, indicating towards Kitty. "She's never been on her own before, she's always had a mom and a dad, or us."

"I will," Piotr replied solemnly.

"We'll miss you," Remy said, awkwardly holding out his hand only to have Piotr scrape him up into a bear hug. When he was released, he continued, "It'll be a little weird hanging out with Scott and Jean."

"The only other couple," Rogue droned, "Gawd, I bet we'll end up having to play couples charades or something!"

The three broke out into fits of laughter at that. After the jokes had died down, the reality that they wouldn't be seeing their friends for awhile kicked in. Remy had forged a deep bond with Piotr and although he wouldn't admit it out loud, he was really going to miss the guy a lot more than he was letting on. After all they had been through together, they were like family. Hell, Piotr had become better family than the one Remy had left behind in New Orleans. In fact, pretty much everyone here had become his family: Bobby and his practical jokes, Kurt and his name calling, Kitty and her tears and clumsy personality, Xavier and his sage wisdom and advice, Logan and his gruff demeanor mixed with chuckles as they drank beer on the dock... All of them.

Even separated by his living arrangements, Remy had always be included, always welcomed. It was only a few months ago when Remy officially spoke with Xavier and joined the team, becoming part of something bigger than he had ever imagined. Rogue was ecstatic, since she was one of the ones who chose to stay behind, continuing to help Xavier. Even Logan had seemed pleased, if only to have his newfound drinking buddy still on hand.

All in all, things at Xavier's Institute were pretty fulfilling. It was hard to remember just how he had come to be here and all the sneaking around he and Rogue had done to finally end up at this point, but looking back, Remy wouldn't have changed a thing. He had a home, a woman who loved him, and he had a family.

Most importantly, he finally knew who he was and who he was striving to be. He gazed down at Rogue and smiled as she brushed a tear from her eye.

"I'm not crying," she said defiantly as though his eyes had just accused her of it. "I'm just going to miss them is all."

"Me too," he answered, drawing her into a hug. "Me too."

"But we've still got each other—"

"And me!" Kurt cried as he burst from thin air in between them. Both Rogue and Remy laughed.

"Yeah." Rogue smirked, hugging her brother. "I couldn't ditch you if I tried."

"I'm-I'm going to see mom this weekend." Kurt's eyes turned serious as he hesitated. "I was hoping that you might come with me."

"I don't know," Rogue replied. And a heavy uncomfortable silence hung between them.

"She's in jail, Rogue," Kurt pleaded. "She doesn't have anyone but us now."

Remy nudged her shoulder a bit. "It probably wouldn't hurt to accompany him. And it'd be more him than her anyway."

Rogue let out a sigh as both Kurt and Remy gave her sad, pleading eyes. "Alright," she muttered. "I'll go with you, but I'm not promising anything."

"Great!" Kurt shouted, hugging her tighter. "You have no idea what this means to me!"

"Yeah, yeah. Geez," she grumbled indignantly.

Kurt bounded off and Remy gave her an impish grin. "You know this means the world to him, right?"

"Yeah," Rogue breathed in defeat. "I know, that's why I'm going."

In reality, Rogue didn't want to see her mother at all. Since her confrontation with Mystique two years ago, the woman had disappeared from her life. It was only recently that she had resurfaced.

Mystique had made an attempt on Senator Kelly's life and had been stopped by Magneto and Xavier. It was the event that had landed Mystique in jail and had reforged Charles and Magneto's friendship. Ever since Mystique had been imprisoned, Kurt had become resolved to try and reach out to his mother in hopes that she might one day change her ways.

Rogue doubted it would ever happen, but she loved Kurt too much to ever dissuade him from his dream. Besides, Xavier had told her that it was good for her and Kurt to reach out to their mother. He then had stated that Rogue had been able to reform an Acolyte, so Kurt's dream really wasn't all that farfetched.

Hand in hand with Remy, she walked back to their boathouse. Back to their tiny, isolated life together devoid of any problematic mothers and pent up resentment. Within the walls of their home, she could be free to love and be happy. She could forget the world and its problems along with her own, because she had been able to find the one thing her mother had not: love.

"Maybe it won't be so bad going to see her," Rogue whispered.

Remy didn't dare say a word that might dissuade her from her decision and simply hugged her tighter. It was one of the moments that defined why he loved her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Thank you everyone who read, reviewed and just simply enjoyed this fic. _

_As of this time, I'm taking a little break from posting any new stories and am instead choosing to focus on re-editing some of my past posted fictions. No plots will be changed, just updating some grammatical errors I've learned about along the way. Just some fine tuning so things read a little better. Thanks to everyone who has been helpful enough to point these things out in an effort to help make my writing better! Much obliged! _

_Please disregard the bombardment of new update emails those of you will most likely receive if you've favourited a story or me as an author. I apologize for the inconvenience...unless of course you want to re-read a fic! :D_

_For all interested, I am still partaking in the Romy Round Robin, and it will be my only current project at this time._

_Hopefully in the near future, I'll be posting the sequel to 'Lucky Gamble' along with some other original stories I've been working out. Take care and see you soon!_


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